


The Sum of your Parts

by RL_BlackRose



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Kidnapping, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-10
Updated: 2013-05-12
Packaged: 2017-12-08 01:39:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/755504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RL_BlackRose/pseuds/RL_BlackRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rabbit is stolen by a man calling himself "Professor" whose only interest is using him as a weapon to kill, The Spine and Hatchworth will risk everything to bring him back. But they're running out of time- because Rabbit's guilt is getting to him, and he would do anything to prevent his body from being used as a weapon again.</p><p>Anything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: WHY HELLO, FANCY SEEING YOU HERE  
> I HAVE DECIDED TO TYPE IN UPPERCASE, JUST SO YOU CAN TELL MY TEXT FROM MY STORY’S TEXT  
> I AM NOT EVEN USING CAPS LOCK, I’M JUST HOLDING DOWN THE SHIFT KEY  
> BECAUSE SHIFT KEY IS JUST THAT HARDCORE  
> WELCOME TO MY FANFICTION (A.K.A HIGH FRUCTOSE ANGST SYRUP)  
> I AM NOTORIOUS FOR MAKING READERS CRY- READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! >:D  
> Edit: I have realized how AWFUL this is! Don't read it if you value your eyesight! ;A;

Spine shifted restlessly, glancing at his watch and tapping his foot. “Hatchworth, are you done yet?”

“This is harder than it looks!” Hatchworth replied. “Your arm is complicated!”

“It took you five minutes to fix Rabbit’s arm!”

“There’s only so much I can do for Rabbit- his parts are old!”

A thundering crash sounded from a nearby room. “I’m okay!” a voice called faintly

“Yes.” Spine said tiredly. “I know.”

Hatchworth frowned. “I’m not going to get anything done if you keep fidgeting!”

“I’m not going to get anything done if you take so long to fix my arm!”

“I’m not going to get anything done if- if- well, not my fault you broke it!” Hatchworth said. “Now hold still.”

Another crash sounded and the door slammed open, bouncing off the wall and dumping Rabbit onto the ground.

“Guys, we got mail!” he said excitedly, voice muffled by the floor. “Mail! A letter in the mail!”

“That’s impossible!” Hatchworth stood, walking over to help him up. “We never get mail!”

“Well, we did now!”

“For heaven’s sake, just stop talking and read the letter!” Spine called from the table.

Rabbit jerkily dusted himself off, then drew the letter from his pocket. He held it up.

“Dear friends,” he read, cocking his head, “I would first like to congratulate you on your talk at the robotics exhibition last Sunday. You did very well. I have heard a lot about you- would you mind if I came over to talk to you? Please reply as soon as possible. Best Regards, Professor.”

Spine’s brow furrowed. “Professor what?”

“It doesn’t say anything after that!” Rabbit replied. “Just... ‘Professor!”

“Maybe that’s his name?” Hatchworth said. “So if he was a professor, he would be Professor Professor?”

Rabbit’s eyes widened. “And if he had a student who was a professor, he would be Professor’s Professor, Professor Professor?”

Spine shook his head.“I don’t like this.” 

“Spine, I’m surprised at you!” Hatchworth gasped. “Don’t hate someone for their name. After all, your name is Spine! Who does that? Who calls someone Spine? What kind of a name is that?”

“Not what I mean, Hatchworth, but thanks for the compliment.” Spine said dryly. “It's just that I... I don’t really like the sound of this letter.”

“Oh, but The Spine!” Rabbit complained. “This might be interesting!”

Hatchworth nodded in agreement.

“Well, first off, my name is not ‘The Spine’ Rabbit, I have told you that many times.” Spine said, “Just Spine. And second... I don’t trust these types. You know why he might want to talk to us.”

“And why’s that?” Hatchworth said.

Rabbit’s eyes flickered down, then back up at Spine. Spine saw a subtly worried look creep into Rabbit’s face, and he sighed.

“There are many uses for robots.” he simply replied. “Especially our kind.”

Hatchworth looked at the both of them and shrugged. “Perhaps, but this chap still sounds nice!”

“But we don’t know if he’s nice!” Spine said, gesturing with his good arm in frustration. “Neither of you understand. This man could be dangerous.”

Hatchworth’s eyes dimmed. “Spine, come on...!” he started whining-

A vague look of annoyance descended over Spine. “We are not getting shipped off to any-” his face contorted in disgust- “into any wars, and that is FINAL!” With the last word, he stood and slammed his fist on the table.

Almost instantly, a chorus of sharp dinging and clanging noises were heard as Spine’s arm opened and emptied its contents onto the hard floor.

Spine froze for a second, then looked down. They all stared at the mess.

“Oh, Spine.” Hatchworth sighed. “And I was almost finished, too! I can’t put you together again if you won’t let me, you know!”

Spine sat down heavily, pulling his hat low over his brow and extending his arm again.

Rabbit suddenly snickered, and his hands snapped up to cover his mouth.

“What can it possibly be now?” Spine muttered darkly.

“Would you say that your arm is in limbo?” he chortled through a huge, mischievous grin. “Because it’s a limb?”

Everyone groaned. Rabbit bounded out the door, giggling madly. He didn’t make it far before tripping and falling with a tremendous thud.  

“I very much regret giving him a portable power supply.” Spine said glumly, watching Hatchworth as he shuffled about.

****  
****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****  
****

It was late at night- around 3 in the morning, according to Spine’s watch. He walked silently through the hallway.

He stopped by a window, stopping to take a look at the sky. A dusting of stars.

Suddenly, he became aware of the silence. The telltale whirr of Rabbit’s charger was missing.

His head tilted curiously. Crickets chirped outside

Spine approached Rabbit’s door and listened. He didn’t hear anything... ah, no; but he did. A faint click-click-click of gears. He opened the door-

Rabbit toppled onto him, and they fell to the ground with a clang.

“Whoa!” Spine said, struggling to get to his feet. “Rabbit?” He took Rabbit from below his shoulders and tried to lift him off the ground. It was no use- too heavy. He nudged the door back open with his foot and dragged Rabbit into the room.

Rabbit suddenly got to his feet. His eye-lights were flickering and his movements were sluggish.

“Rabbit, what’s gotten into you?” Spine said. “You’re almost out of battery. Here, let me take you to your charger-”

Rabbit tried to respond. “Y-y-y-y-y-y-” he frowned in frustration. “S-s-s-s-s-s-s-”

“Just save it for tomorrow. You can’t talk with low battery.”

“N-n-n-n-n-n-o.” Rabbit said, grabbing him by his coat. He willed himself to form words “The S-s-spine, this is imp-p-portant!”

“Alright, alright!” Spine said, mildly surprised. “What is it?”

Rabbit’s head jerked down a notch, and he looked up at Spine in shame.

Oh. Of course.

“I wish you would stop worrying about that.” Spine said.

“B-b-b-ut what if it h-h-happens again?” Rabbit whispered. “Wh-wh-what if I k-k-k-k-” His limbs jerked, and his voice cut off.

“You’re overloading your processors.” Spine said, taking him by the shoulders. “Calm down.”

“S-s-s-sorry.” Rabbit said, letting go of Spine’s coat.. “I just d-d-d-on’t know. What if I... kill?”

“We’ve been over this.” Spine said smoothly. “That’s why we aren’t meeting this professor. Who knows what he’s after?”

“I m-m-mean, they’re not always after my weapons, are they? Is that r-r-r-really all I’m good for?”

Spine shook his head. “No, Rabbit, that’s not all you’re good for. These... these are small-minded people.”

“R-r-really?”

“Of course. Nothing but power, power, power in those little brains of theirs.”

“I j-j-j-ust-” He swallowed. Well, as close to a swallow as a robot can get, anyway. “Sometimes, I think... what if I just shut d-d-d-d-own? I wouldn’t hurt anyone-”

“Don’t you talk like that.” Spine said sharply. “What good are you as a tin can in a closet?”

They started into each other’s eyes for a moment, until Rabbit smiled shyly.

“The Spine, do you know everything?”

“I wish.” The Spine said. “Now you’ve got to charge, before-”

But his words fell on unhearing ears. Rabbit’s eyes went out. He sagged and fell over, landing on the floor in an awkward position.

The crickets resumed their chirping outside.

Spine rolled his eyes, picking Rabbit up off the floor. He dragged him over to his charging station, grunting as he lifted him into a sitting position. As he gently attached the various wires, his eyes caught on an object on the floor. Rabbit’s hat.

Spine took the hat from the floor, flicked the dust from it, and laid it on backwards on Rabbit’s head. Subtle yet annoying, he thought. The perfect crime.

But all the while, his processors spun noisily. Worry made him cold.

Because most types that sent them letters, and then calls, and then visits... most of them didn’t stop there. Most of them wanted more.

He could only hope that the professor wasn’t one of those people.

Unfortunately, there is only so much that hope can do.

Of equal misfortune, there is only so long that a professor can wait.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I WROTE THIS CHAPTER IN THE STUFFY 83 DEGREE HEAT OF MY ROOM  
> AIR CONDITIONING WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS
> 
> O H Y E A H- I FORGOT TO MENTION LAST TIME- REVIEWS/COMMENTS ARE MY FAVORITE THING. EVER. RECOMMENDATIONS. CRITIQUES. ANYTHING. THEY ARE MY MOTIVATION. EVEN IF IT’S JUST ONE OR TWO WORDS PLS GUYS THANK YOU  
> HOPE YOU ENJOY >:D

Much to Spine’s surprise, the professor kept his distance. They did not receive letters, calls- it seemed that he had given up. But Spine knew that all was not always what it seemed, and that it was better to be safe than sorry.

It would appear that his caution paid off.

They were driving home. Their car was black and streamlined, blending into the night. Well, except for Rabbit. He had stuck his head out the window, one hand on his hat.

“Rabbit, you’re going to get your head knocked off by another car.” Spine said. “Rabbit? Rabbit!”

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Rabbit shouted into the night air, grinning and closing his eyes against the biting wind. “YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAH!”

“Rabbit, you are being incredible immature-”

Rabbit turned, struggling to see through squinted eyes, and stuck a mechanical tongue out at him.

“Why are you even shutting your eyes?!” Spine said. “You have goggles! There are goggles on your hat! Brass goggles! That is specifically what those are made for!”

“But what fun is there in that?!” Rabbit laughed. “Come on. Join me!”

“I’m driving, Rabbit.”

“Gee Spine,” Hatchworth said critically, “I don’t know if I’d call that driving.”

“Oh, well I’M sorry- maybe I’d drive better if I had better arms!”

“Probably.” Hatchworth agreed.

Spine sighed. “Hatchworth, that was meant as an insult.”

“Why, an insult towards whom?”

Suddenly, Spine caught a glint in his rearview mirror. The second he tried to focus on it, it was gone.

His eyes narrowed.

“Rabbit.” he hissed. “Back in the car.”

“Aw, Spine!” Rabbit said sadly.

“I’m serious!”

Rabbit saw that he was. Giving a quick look around, he pulled himself back into the car and rolled up the window.

“We’re being followed.” Spine murmured.

A dark worry buried itself in Rabbit’s chest. He edged slightly closer to Spine, automatically reaching for the other’s jacket.

“Are you sure?” he breathed.

“Why are we whispering?” Hatchworth whispered.

Spine’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “We can’t show any sign that we notice them. Don’t look back.”

A moment passed.

Hatchworth looked back.

The other car dropped back instantly, disappearing into the night.

“GODDAMMIT, HATCHWORTH!” Spine shouted furiously. He stepped on the pedal, and the car shot forward with a jolt. Rabbit screamed.

“YOU’LL KILL US AAAAAALL!”

“RABBIT, BE QUIET!”

“WHY ARE WE SHOUTING?!”

“YOU TOO, HATCHWORTH!”

The car accelerated, and the road blurred as it whipped by

“I feel sick, I feel sick!” Rabbit moaned.

“Robots can’t feel sick, that’s ridiculous!” Hatchworth said.

Spine shushed them. “Look around- since we lost sight of the car, it could be anywhere!”

‘Anywhere’ turned out to be much closer than expected. The strange car swerved in front of them, screeching to a halt and cutting off their path.

Spine gritted his teeth and wrenched the steering wheel to the side, peeling into a small street. The smell of burnt rubber filled the air, and Rabbit yelped-  his strong metallic fingers carved into Spine’s arm-

There was a crack, and Spine’s arm was still.

“GODDAMMIT, RABBIT!”

“I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY!” Rabbit yelled. “WE’RE GOING TO DIE AND IT’S ALL MY FAULT I’M SO SORRY I-”

“We’re not going to die.” Spine said. His eyes glinted.

The car began to slow.

“Uh- uh- S-spine?” Hatchworth stammered. “What are you doing?”

“Get out and hide... NOW!” Spine shouted. He threw the car door open and dove behind a dumpster.

Rabbit sucked in a breath of steam. His head clicked from side to side, and he finally kicked the car door open and threw himself into the crawl space under a block of mailboxes, across the street from Spine. Hatchworth edged under the dumpster.

The three stilled their gears as a pair of headlights flooded the road with twin beams. The other vehicle slowed. It was a black van, sleek and sturdy-looking.

The door opened.

From his hiding-place, Rabbit saw two pairs of feet drop to the ground. He heard a dreadful crackling noise, and saw the head of a small staff swipe past the ground. It was an electrified livestock prodder.

He held very still.

Opposite from him, Spine clenched a fist. At this rate... he had to make a decision. Right now.

He knew Rabbit wouldn’t be able to use his weapons- not because they didn’t work. They worked just fine.

Rabbit had always had... a problem with his weapons. He hated to see himself as a weapon, as a killer, as a thing to be used. It had haunted him for most of his life- a dangerous, alien part of his body. He lived in uncomfortable silence with it.

One of the strangers turned towards the block of mail boxes...

And with a click and a whirr, a section of Spine’s arm slid back to reveal a gun.

Spine liked to think of himself as more of... a practical pacifist, in his own words.

He slipped out of the shadows and rammed his elbow into the nearest man. The man grunted, falling and dropping his prodder. Spine stepped on it, breaking it in half. Then, he sprinted around the car, stopped-

“The Spine!” Rabbit shouted. The other man had found him- he scrambled back from the tip of the other man’s prodder... the electricity snapped centimeters from his face- and then Spine was there, grabbing the man in an iron chokehold. He dragged him back, slamming him again the van. The stranger fell to the ground, unconscious.

“Look out!” Rabbit shouted, pointing with eyes wide. Spine whirled, stumbled back from the blow of a third man-

Who was suddenly hit in the head by a wrench. His eyes rolled back and he fell to reveal Hatchwork behind him, who smiled and winked. “Hey, chaps!”

Spine smiled, sliding his gun back into his arm. Rabbit let out a relieved breath of steam

It didn’t last long, though- suddenly, the sound of tires against pavement pierced the still air.

“Car!” Spine hissed.

They all scrambled to the car, and the air was alive with the sound of the buzzing and clicking from their quick movements. Once they were in, Spine slammed his foot down. The car advanced, careening into the night.

They sat in shaken silence.

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

“Thanks, Hatchworth!” Spine called after him. He heard a tired mumble in response, and then a door closing.

He moved his newly repaired arm, listening closely to the hum of the electronics. He caught sight of his watch on it, and he sighed.

Another late night, it seemed.

CLANK

Spine cocked his head, listening.

Click-click

“Rabbit, I can hear you.” Spine said. Hearing a sigh from outside, he chuckled.

“Why can’t I have super hearing?” Rabbit complained, opening the door. “Why do you always get the cool stuff?”

“Because I’m the only one here with any sense.”

There was a brief silence. Spine twirled a screwdriver, adjusting the bolts on his arm.

“Say, The Spine,” Rabbit said cautiously- “After that car thing, I was just thinking... shouldn’t we move away?”

Spine looked up at him from under the brim of his hat, raising an eyebrow. “I wish.” he muttered. “We don’t have enough money, though. Who’d by this run down shack of a house?”

“Th-they’re hunting us down!”

“It’s only one person, and we’ve seen many like him before.”

“But- it’s n-n-n-ot safe!” Rabbit protested, face stricken. “S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-!”

“Now, don’t get yourself worked up.” Spine said, standing. He leaned against the table, a concerned look on his face. “As long as we keep our guard up, I’m sure he’ll move on.”

Rabbit looked down at the ground, arms stiff by his sides.

“You’re lying.” He muttered.

“What-?”

“I said you’re l-l-l-lying!”

“Rabbit, are you-?”

With a whirr, Rabbit’s hands clenched into fists. He looked up, squeezing his eyes shut.. “I don’t know how to stop it!” he cried.

His face was streaked with black, greasy oil. It leaked out the corners of his eyes, dripping off the curve of his jaw.

Spine’s brow furrowed. It was a strange little glitch that they all had, the leaking oil. It had absolutely no purpose, except maybe to resemble human crying. They could never be sure.

It was rare, though, and Spine understood that Rabbit was distressed.

Rabbit swiped his sleeve across his dirtied cheeks, glancing to the side in embarrassment. “I- I just don’t want to kill anyone. Haven’t I killed enough p-p-p-people? What if they use m-m-m-m-m-me?”

Spine reached for him. “Rabbit-”

“NO!” Rabbit yelled, his voice breaking. He batted Spine’s hand away. “I’m going to be used as- as a thing to kill people-” he gulped- “and you just want to SIT here and do NOTHING?! I’m- I- I-” More oil dripped down his cheeks. “I’m not just a machine, I can’t do this! And- and I don’t want to die!”

“None of us want to die, Rabbit.”

“But I SHOULD!” Rabbit sobbed. “I can’t control myself well- I’ll kill innocent people, and what then? What’ll I do THEN?!” He let his face fall to his hands.

“I think,” Spine said reassuringly, “That you’re just shaken up by what happened today. He won’t get you, not while I’m here.”

“But-”

“Rabbit.” Spine grabbed him by the arms, looking him intensely in the eyes.. “Rabbit, listen to me. Nothing’s going to happen. We escaped this guy’s men today, and everything turned out just fine. That’s it.”

“I-”

“And if it comes to it,” Spine went on, “Then you use your weapons in self defense.”

Rabbit's eyes widened. “No! Never!”

“Yes.” Spine urged. “You’ve got to promise me that. You’ve got to promise me that if you’re out of ideas and out of luck, then you will use them.”

“Well- well, fiine.” Rabbit said nervously. “But- but only if there’s nothing else! Only then!”

“Only then.” Spine said, letting go of his arms.

Rabbit became embarrassed again, shifting uncomfortably. “S-sorry about your arm.”

“It’s okay-”

“The Spine-how do you do it?”

Spine eyed him curiously. “Do what?”

“How d-d-d-d-d-do you use your- weapons- without...” He paused, and the silence spoke for him.

Spine understood.

“I don’t know, Rabbit.” he said. “And honestly, that scares me a little sometimes.”

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Spine had trouble shutting down properly that night.

His circuits kept waking him up- at every little sound, every creak of the house, his eyes were open again.

All this Professor guy needed, he tried to convince himself, was some time. He would give up. He had to give up. They just needed to hold out for a while longer.

But it is hard to predict time, and harder to predict the actions of a madman- and when both are involved, it becomes hard to be certain of anything at all.

In fact, it would be over by the next nightfall.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: HOH BOY THIS TOOK ME AN UNUSUALLY LONG AMOUNT OF TIME  
> I STILL HAVE HOMEWORK TO DO WHY AM I DOING THISSS  
> WELL, AT LEAST THE AIR CONDITIONING HERE IS FIXED  
> FOR NOW  
> LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK  
> ENJOY >:D

It was a quiet day, with the kind of morning that slips through your fingers.

They were all working- they fixed robots on occasion. There was a special workshop for that in the house, filled with the faintly metallic smell of copper and iron.

Hatchworth was the best at those kinds of things, so Spine and Rabbit usually struggled to keep up with him.

“Screwdriver?” he said, focused on his work.

“I’ll get it.” Spine said. He reached-

“No, I think I can!” Rabbit said, snatching the tool off the table.

“Give that back-”

“No, it’s mine! I haven’t handed Hatchworth a tool for, like, an hour!” Rabbit complained.

“You just did it 5 minutes ago!”

“Well- well it feels like an hour!” Rabbit said. He leapt over to Hatchworth and handed it over, shooting Spine a smug look.

“Hatchworth, it would appear that we’re getting a bit desperate for entertainment here.” Spine said, raising an eyebrow at Rabbit. He glanced at his watch. “Are you almost done?”

“Now now, don’t get fidgety, boys!” Hatchworth laughed. “Just a bit more... aaand... done!”

He stood, proudly gazing at his creation. A relatively simple robot, Spine thought, but he wasn’t about to burst his bubble.

“Anyway, can we deliver it now?” Spine insisted. “It’ll get dark soon, and we don’t want to be... vulnerable.”

Hatchworth stroked his mustache. “Well, I hate to say this- but it would be best if Rabbit stayed home!”

“What?!” Rabbit said, sagging. “Come on, Hatchworth, you can’t be serious! What if you get cornered? You’ll need me!”

“I hate to say this, Rabbit,” Spine said, “But you’re very clumsy.”

“Am not! Well- maybe a little, but who cares?!”

“Rabbit, please be reasonable!” Spine implored. “You have trouble using your weapons too- if we get cornered, you’ll slow us down.”

Rabbit frowned, crossing his arms. “What, but leaving me here unprotected is better?”

Spine and Hatchworth exchanged a look.

“Rabbit has a point.” Hatchworth admitted. “If he stays, he’ll be like an apple ready for picking! This “Professor” fellow knows where we live, remember?”

Spine thought it over for a second, then nodded grudgingly. “Alright- but Rabbit, if anything happens, anything at all... you run, understand?”

“Even if you’re in trouble?”

“Yes.”

“But-!”

“That’s final, Rabbit!”

Rabbit pouted. “You’re not the boss of me.” he muttered.

“Have some sense!” Spine urged. “There are some things that you just aren’t built for.”

“Fine, fine!”

“And you keep your head in the car this time, okay?”

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Rabbit gazed at the setting sun, head against the car window. Hatchworth had gone into sleep mode, probably out of boredom.

Spine could feel the elephant in the room- the car, rather- and it wasn’t long before Rabbit had to say something.

“Hey...  The Spine?” Rabbit said, throwing him a sidelong glance. “What if he captures one of us?”

Spine gave him a quick look-over, then turned his attention back to the road. “What do you mean?”

Rabbit fidgeted, looking down at his feet. “I mean- what would we do? If the professor catches one of us.”

“We would go after him, of course.”

Well- but isn’t that an awful idea?” Rabbit said worriedly- “What if all three of us end up getting caught?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“We could be used as weapons!”

“We wouldn’t let him.”

“He could make us!”

“Not if we stand our ground.”

“You-” Rabbit spread his hands, searching for words to describe what he feared. “You could die! Both of you!”

Hatchworth poked his head through the gap between the front seats, surprising them. “None of us are going to die, lad. And if one of us gets captured, we get ‘im back. It’s the right thing to do.”

Rabbit exhaled. “W-well- but I just thought I’d tell you that-” he managed a weak smile.  “Please, if I get c-c-captured... I don’t want you to-”

“Don’t you dare talk like that!” Spine said severely. “We aren’t going to get captured, and- and-” He cast a glance at Rabbit and saw his fingers curling. He looked to be on the verge of panicking again. “Rabbit.” he assured. “We would never leave you there. It’s not that we’re reckless, it’s simply that we wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves after. Do you understand?”

Rabbit nodded, closing his eyes.

Hatchworth leaned back, settling back into sleep mode.

The sky darkened slowly, fading as time went by.

“I had a dream, you know.” Rabbit said after a while, staring out the window and grinning. “Well, not a dream. I can’t dream. A daydream, you know?”

“Mmm?” Spine inquired, raising his eyebrows.

“It was- that we could perform. I wish we could really sing, like we were designed to- but in front of a crowd. Make them laugh! A whole crowd- can you imagine, The Spine?”

“As if!” Spine laughed, raising his eyebrows. “Where’s this coming from, anyway?”

“Think about it!” Rabbit said dreamily, clasping his hands. “Think about the stories we could tell them, the songs we could sing! Wouldn’t it be great?”

“What would we sing to them?”

“Anything.”

“Define ‘anything’.”

“Who knows?” Rabbit said, shrugging. “We could sing about- about robot things!”

“Robot things.” Spine repeated.

“Yeah!”

“Hmm.”

They rode in silence for a while longer.

Suddenly, Rabbit jerked his head out of his daydream. He leaned forward, squinting.

“Uh... The Spine?” he said, pulling on the Spine’s sleeve- “What’s that?”

Too late, Spine noticed the unnatural gleam on the road. The sharp spikes.

“BRACE!” he shouted, his eyes widening as he sucked in his breath, and flung his arm across Rabbit, who closed his eyes-

There was a tremendous explosion, a popping that filled their ears, and the car skidded across the road. Spine felt the world twist sickeningly as the car flipped. There was no up and no down, just the painful sound of glass and metal crunching, smashing-

After what seemed like an eternity, the car finally rolled to a stop. There was a final sound of settling wreckage, and then a deathly stillness.

“Rabbit! Hatchworth!” Spine groaned.

“I’m okay!”

“Me too!”

“We have to get out.” Spine hissed, looking around. “Now! They can’t be far.”

Hatchworth twisted his body around and kicked at the nearest door. “No use!” he said in dismay.

Spine clenched his teeth and propped his feet against another door, pushing with all his might. Slowly but surely the door gave way, and with a final creak it popped off its hinges.

Spine held a finger up to his lips, then reached for Rabbit and pulled. It took some effort, but then they tumbled onto the grass. They both grabbed Hatchworth’s hands and tugged him from the debris.

Spine turned to Rabbit, looking him in the eyes. “Run. Now.”

“No!” Rabbit said, face stricken. He grabbed Spine’s coat with shaking, clicking hands. “I c-c-c-can’t leave you!”

“YOU PROMISED!” Spine roared. “NOW RUN, YOU DOLT!”

Rabbit cringed. He bit his lip and nodded- but before he left, he caught Spine in a intense embrace, squeezing until he heard metal creak.

“I promised.” he whispered, and then he was breaking free and sprinting across the open grassy field, towards the town they had just left.

Spine watched him go, lead pounding through his body. Why had it sounded... like Rabbit was saying goodbye?

He didn’t have time to think about it, because suddenly a faint crackle sounded behind him-

Spine dodged, spinning 180 degrees and leaping forward. He caught the stranger in the chest with a heavy fist, knocking him off his feet. The stranger lunged at his legs, weapon in hand- Spine noticed that it was no longer a cattle prod, but a sort of electrified whip- and so he jumped to avoid it. The stranger took the opportunity to leap to his feet, drawing his arm back and throwing the buzzing weapon forward-

Spine sidestepped and caught the stranger by the arm, twisting it until he was on his knees. A knee to the head, and the stranger was out like a light.

“Come on!” Spine shouted, motioning to Hatchworth. Hatchworth picked the strange weapon off the ground, putting it over his shoulder. They both sprinted after Rabbit.

To their dismay, they realized that the stranger hadn’t come alone- and that they had made a horrible mistake.

Because there had been a black van hidden behind a sign, and it now swerved and headed after Rabbit.

Rabbit ran like mad, coat billowing behind him. He looked back to see The Spine and Hatchworth, mere stick figures from this distance. They seemed to be shouting something.

And then, he heard the wheels.

The black van pulled up beside him, and the door slid open. From inside, he could hear faint strains of Beethoven. Two attackers stood crouched in the doorway.

Rabbit spun, retracing his steps and hurling himself in the opposite direction- but it was too late, the attackers had already jumped, and they flanked him.

At this point, he knew that there was only one thing to do. He screeched to a halt, turning.

“Alright, fellas!” he said, clenching his fists. “Here we go!”

“What the HELL does he think he’s doing?!” Spine yelled.

“It’s the only chance he’s got.” Hatchworth said.

“Not if we catch up first!” Spine shouted back, and he willed his legs to go faster.

Meanwhile, the two attackers lashed their charged whips at Rabbit. He ducked, then drew himself back up and launched a volley of punches to his left. The attacker stumbled back, and Rabbit slipped under him and clocked him in the head. The man tripped, falling unconscious.

Rabbit turned to confront the other, when all of a sudden-

An awful feeling gripped him. It was a burning, boiling heat that flowed from his neck, where the other attacker had wrapped his whip.

The voltage coursed through his body and he screamed a horrible scream, falling to his knees and struggling to get it off, get him off- his vision swam-

Still racked with convulsions, steam pouring from his mouth, he threw himself forward and punched the man in the face. The charge flowed through his arm, pouring into the attacker. Once he heard a scream, he reached up and ripped the whip from his throat.

When he finally gathered the strength to look up, he saw The Spine and Hatchworth drawing near. He slowly dragged himself to his feet-

But then they were shouting and pointing, and he heard the van too late to react.

The back door of the van was open, and ropes lashed out like lassos, wrapping around him. They were everywhere- on his arms, around his neck, his legs-

The van started driving and it dragged him. The men inside slowly pulled him in- yet he fought, kicking and thrashing and shouting-

Spine was a few yards away, then one yard, then barely a foot-

“GRAB MY HAND!” he shouted, reaching out for Rabbit.

Rabbit poured his remaining strength into his arm, gritting his teeth and pulling against the ropes. He grabbed Spine’s arm.

“Hatchworth, help me!” Spine called... but then the van was picking up speed, far too fast for Spine to keep up. He was starting to stumble, and his legs were starting to creak...

And Rabbit saw it. Rabbit knew.

The expression of wide-eyed fear across his face descended into sadness

Rabbit closed his eyes as he let go.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” Spine howled. He tripped and fell, tried to get up, scrambled to his feet- but then Hatchworth was there and the van was gone.

“I’ve got to go after him!” Spine shouted, straining against Hatchworth’s grip. “Let go, Hatchworth!”

“You can’t reach it, not at this point. You’ll kill yourself- please, stop this! Spine!”

“NO!” Spine said. “I- I can’t- I-”

He slowed down and sank to his knees. Stared ahead in shock. The world spun around him.

His processors overloaded, and he froze, falling over with a clank.

Dreadful silence.

Hatchworth sucked his grief in and held it inside, willing it to stay for at least another hour.

He was blank-faced and silent as he began the task of dragging Spine back to the car.

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

The minute Rabbit was in the van, strangers leapt all over him and tethered him onto the metal floor. The shock he’d been given had sapped most of his power away, and his eyes flickered.

He saw a face as a man leaned over him, saw light reflecting off square glasses.

“Hello, Rabbit.” he heard. “I hope you’re nice and comfortable- you are, after all, my guest. Now, your manners aren’t the best yet, but I think we can fix that. You and me, Rabbit, I think we can fix everything. Don’t you? Don’t you think so?”

Rabbit let himself slip out of consciousness, allowing lack of battery overwhelm him. He did, however, hear one last thing.

“Don’t you think we can change the world?”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: WOW, INTENSE CHAPTER RIGHT HERE. DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU!  
> ALSO, I HAVE SOME ANNOUNCEMENTSSSS  
> FIRST; I KNOW THAT IN CANON THE WALTER GIRLS ARE HUMAN, BUT JUUUUUST FOR THE SAKE OF CONVENIENCE I HAVE CHANGED THAT  
> ARTISTIC LICENSE, RIGHT? ^________^”  
> AND SECOND; I HAVE TWEAKED SOMETHING IN CHAPTERS TWO AND THREE. LET ME CLEAR SOMETHING UP; THIS STORY TAKES PLACE AFTER THE ROBOTS ARE DONE WITH THE WAR, BUT BEFORE THEY START SINGING.  
> AH, BUT I’VE CLAIMED YOUR ATTENTION LONG ENOUGH. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO- ENJOY!

When Spine’s electronics finally cooled, he swam into consciousness.

Where...

Suddenly, the memories of the day before hit him. His eyes snapped open and he sat up, gasping.

He found that he was connected to his charger, and ripped the wires away. His head swam as he stood, causing him to totter unsteadily- he leaned against the wall, raising a hand to his face...

_Rabbit- no-_

Spine stumbled towards the door, throwing it open. It slammed into the wall.

_Rabbit-_

He reached out blindly, felt the cool glass of a window. Lifted his head.

Stars.

Spine looked down at his watch, knowing before he even looked that it was three in the morning.

It would always be three in the morning.

Another late night, it seemed.

A light click-clacking noise interrupted the crickets outside as he started to shake.

He felt a spinning of gears inside him, and his hands flew to his mouth. All of a sudden, slippery, black oil poured through his fingers.

“Spine?” he heard. “Is that you?”

Spine turned away as Hatchworth walked down the hall. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, standing up straight.

He tried to respond, but found that he could only nod.

Hatchworth gave him a cautious look. “How are you feeling?”

Spine opened his mouth to say ‘I’m fine’, but he’d only just gotten past the ‘I’m’ part when another burst of oil flooded from his mouth. He fell heavily against the wall, coughing.

“Whoa- take it easy!” Hatchworth said, taking him by the arm. Spine leaned on him, and Hatchworth grunted under the weight. He led him to the workshop table, helping him into a chair.

The minute Hatchworth sat across from him, The Spine laid his face in his hands.

They sat in silence for a while.

“Spine,” Hatchworth said, “I hate to tell you this at such an awful time... but you’re going to have to pull yourself together.”

“Pull myself together?” Spine repeated. His voice was low and slightly scratchy.

“ _Listen_ to me!” Hatchworth pleaded. “You’re no good to Rabbit like this-”

“I can’t do it, Hatchworth.” Spine said, looking up. For the first time since the attack, oil leaked from his eyes. “It’s too much. It’s too hard.”

Hatchworth leaned forward, taken aback. “Dont talk like that!”  
“We’re never getting him back!” Spine cried. “He’s gone! Did you see how many there were? There’s no way. No way. He’s gone forever, Hatchworth.”

“What, so you’re giving up?!” Hatchworth shouted, standing and slamming his palms on the table.

Spine looked up at him with a dirty face and exhausted eyes.

“You can’t.” Hatchworth said. “You can’t!”

“What’s the use?” Spine whispered. “Why should we even try? Rabbit didn’t want us to, anyway-”

Hatchworth shook his head “You’re missing the point!” He went around the table and grabbed Spine by the collar. “I miss him too! You know I do. Rabbit is like a brother to me!”

“But we can’t win!” Spine roared, standing up. He towered over Hatchworth. “It’s over!”

And then Hatchworth spoke to him in a voice cold as ice.

“You promised.” he said, looking him in the eyes-. “You promised the boy.”

Spine’s head spun, and he sat back down.

_You promised..._

_“YOU PROMISED! NOW RUN, YOU DOLT!”_

_“I promised.”_

_I promised_

“I promised.” Spine said out loud. Then louder, clearer- “I... I promised.”

Hatchworth sighed in relief, glad that he was getting somewhere. “We’re going to rescue him- we just need a good plan.”

“A good plan, huh?” Spine echoed. The world was clearer now, and a thousand ideas were buzzing around his head.

His eyes shone, steely and determined.

“I think I can do that.”

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

“He’s awake.”

Rabbit blinked once, twice, and a groan escaped his lips. A bright light shone above him, but when he tried to cover his eyes he found that he was bound.

He suddenly wished he had stayed still, so he could close his eyes again and stop thinking once more... but now it was too late, and he braced himself as his eyes adjusted.

There were two girls standing above him, and he recognized them- Walter girl Paige, and Malfunction. They’d been lab robots, made a little before he was...

What were they doing here?

Where... where was ‘here’, anyway?

He craned his neck to look around and saw a lab, full of strange equipment and machines enveloped in clouds of steam. Blinking lights and scattered gears, tools of all shapes and sizes.

Among them there stood a man in a crisp, white coat. In fact, everything about this man was crisp and neat. His hair, his shoes- even his skin seemed to gleam like iron. He turned around, and took a look at Rabbit through thick glasses.

“Prop him up, will you?” he said to the Walter girls. They complied, angling the board he was strapped to so it was almost vertical.

Rabbit was confused. This man didn’t look threatening at all- a bit unnatural maybe, but nothing awful. His voice was smooth, his movements slow. But looks could be deceiving, and Rabbit kept his guard up.

“Hello, Rabbit.” the man said. “It’s great to finally meet you! You can call me Professor.”

Rabbit spoke, keeping his voice short and taut. “Professor what?”

Professor smiled. “Just ‘Professor’ will do just fine.”

A faint alarm sounded in the back of Rabbit’s mind. Not a real alarm, of course, but an alarm all the same. What kind of guy was this?

Professor walked up to him, hands clasped behind his back. Rabbit held perfectly still.

“I think I’ll get to the point, then.” Professor said. “I was quite concerned when you didn’t answer my letters, _quite_ concerned. You understand.”

Silence.

Professor cocked his head. “Not very talkative, are you?”

A pause.

“Because you sure seemed... _active_ when you took down the escorts I sent.”

Rabbit raised an eyebrow. “Escorts?”

Professor chuckled. “I don’t think you understand, Rabbit. I am your host, and you are a very important guest. Do you see?”

“You tie your guests to slabs often, Mister Professor?” Rabbit responded, tugging an arm against its restraints.

Professor showed no emotion, wearing the same cold smile he’d had on the entire time. It was starting to creep Rabbit out, honestly. Something was off- he could tell.

“A precaution.” he finally answered, shrugging. “You could have been disoriented when you woke up- you understand.”

“I’m awake now.” Rabbit said softly, narrowing his eyes. “Can you untie me?”

Professor chose to ignore the question, instead pacing and turning to him to him again. “What I really want to know, Rabbit, is why you didn’t answer my letters. It’s bad manners, you know. Correspondence is an important thing.”

“Only got one letter.”

“Did you, now?” Professor said. He turned to the Walter girls. “Did you only make one letter?”

The Walter girls had been standing silently, one on each side of Rabbit. Their hands were clasped in front of them.

“You did not tell us to make another.” Paige said-

“Did I SAY you could TALK?!” Professor howled, his face lighting up red. “DID I?!”

Paige showed no reaction.

Professor grabbed a gun from the table beside him and aimed. He pulled the trigger and shot- again- and again- and again- the stinging sound of gunfire piercing the air- and then she fell, collapsing over herself like a rag doll.

Malfunction showed no emotion. She didn’t even turn, didn’t even blink.

“Now,” Professor said calmly, motioning to the robot on the floor, “Will you be a dear, Malfunction, and go fix your friend?”

Malfunction nodded silently, then picked Paige up and carried her away.

The moment registered in Rabbit’s mind and he gaped, making noises involuntarily. “Aaahh... ah- ah-”

“Now, where were we?” Professor said, setting the gun back onto the table with a clunk.

Rabbit’s eyes were wide and shining with fear. Lights snapped at the edges of his vision as genuine terror filled his mechanical heart.

This was a madman, an utter lunatic, Rabbit realized. He wouldn’t hesitate to send a shower of bullets into Rabbit- not to mention The Spine and Hatchworth, if they came along.

He had to talk, say something. There was no way he could stay quiet now.

“Why- why d-d-d-did you do that?” he said. Instantly he regretted it, realizing that his panic showed through his voice.

“Do what?”

No turning back now. “Y-y-y-y-y-ou shot her!”

“Shot who?” Professor looked around, confused. “I don’t see anyone who’s been shot. My gun has been here on this table the entire time.”

“Paige! You shot _P-p-p-paige_!”

One of Professor’s eyes gave a slight twitch, sliding out of focus.

Rabbit closed his mouth against chattering teeth. Talking was bad. He had to remember that from now on. Very bad.

Professor’s eyes snapped back into focus, and his cold smile returned. “Ah- I remember. Rabbit, we have something we must discuss.”

He walked closer to Rabbit and touched his arm. Rabbit repressed a shudder.

“You have weapons, yes?”

Rabbit didn’t know whether to answer. He gave a small nod.

“Good, good.” Professor purred. “I need you to help me use them. I have some things I need to do, you see.” He looked up at Rabbit’s face, patting his arm. “It’s quite complicated. There is just... something I despise about people. Walking free, doing whatever they’d like. Making the wrong decisions. Wouldn’t it be simpler if they were all under control? Imagine- someone like me... I could fix the world. And all I need...” His smile grew- “Are the weapons inside you. They are... so powerful. It’s beautiful, honestly. Can you help me?”

Rabbit didn’t answer. This didn’t seem to work well, though, because the Professor’s smile grew rigid.

So, he shook his head.

“That’s a shame.” Professor lamented, shaking his head. “Because then, Rabbit, I will have to take you apart. I will have to figure out how to use you.”

“That’s impossible.” Rabbit said. “My weapons only work if I give the command. Without me, they’re useless.”

Professor nodded. “Ah.” He said. “Then I’ll guess I’ll have to make you help me, won’t I?”

Once again, Rabbit regretted speaking.

“Malfunction, will you come here please?” Professor called. Malfunction stepped in, hands clasped in front of her once again. “Can you put this board flat?”

Malfuction nodded, winding a crank until Rabbit was parallel to the floor.

“Now, let’s take a look, shall we?” Professor muttered. He opened Rabbit’s jacket, so that his metal chest gleamed in the bright laboratory lights. Then he took a screwdriver, and began undoing the bolts that held him together.

Rabbit stared straight ahead, up towards the ceiling. He gritted his teeth as he felt Professor trying to open him.

Professor frowned.

“Malfuction, could you pass me another screwdriver?”

Rabbit hissed as the next screwdriver digged deeper, setting off his pain receptors. He twisted. “S-stop-!”

“How about a wrench?” he heard Professor say.

A dreadful creaking sound, and Rabbit cried out.

Professor’s face lit up with rage, and he threw the wrench across the room. It landed on the floor with a clatter. “WHY ISN’T IT WORKING?! WHY ISN’T HE COMING APART?!”

Malfunction was silent, so Professor grabbed Rabbit by his neck and squeezed. Rabbit froze, gasping.

“WHY DON’T YOU BREAK?!!” he howled.

Frustrated with Rabbit’s silence, he stormed over to grab something from a nearby table.

 _This is it._ Rabbit realized in horror. He’s going to shoot me now. _This is it, I’m done. He’s going to kill me he’s going to kill me he’s going to kill me_ \- he closed his eyes-

But Professor didn’t kill him, instead snapping an iron collar around his throat.

“If you try to run,” Professor growled, “I will shock you. If you try to use your weapons, I will shock you. Don’t you forget that.” Then he straightened up, seeming to regain some of his composure. “Now Malfunction, will you show him to his room?”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

The ‘room’ turned out to be a bare, cold cell which Malfunction wheeled him over to. Once he was inside and the door was locked, his restraints popped opened. He immediately slid off, rushing to the cell bars.

“B-b-b-b-b-Malfunction!” he whispered. “Malfunction, it’s me, Rabbit. We never really met, but still- what are y-y-y-y-you doing here? Why are you following his ord-d-ders?”

He suddenly realized that his words were falling on closed ears, and that something had been done to her. Maybe she was reprogrammed, or brainwashed- but she certainly wasn’t going to help him now.

She could’ve been down in the lab for years by now.

Rabbit backed away from the front of the cell, overwhelmed. Thoughts of fear filled his head. He was afraid- afraid of dying, afraid of being ripped apart. Of being used.

And above all, he was afraid that The Spine and Hatchworth were probably on their way.

He sank down, holding his head. Oh, how he missed them already! The Spine’s silky, reassuring voice. Hatchworth’s deep, bouncing laughter.

A sob escaped his lips, and he trembled violently. Rabbit covered his mouth.

Oil streamed from his eyes, dripping over his hands.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

That was how the Professor found him, around an hour later.

The sight seemed to enrage him.

“What are you doing?” he said, voice dangerously soft.

Rabbit looked up at him, pulling himself to his feet. “N-nothing-”

Professor snarled, reaching into the cell and grabbing him by the arm. “I SAID, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

“C-c-c-c-c-crying!” Rabbit admitted, trying to pull away. “I was-”

“ROBOTS DON’T CRY! ROBOTS CAN’T CRY!” Professor shouted. “ROBOTS DON’T FEEL! YOU HAVE NO EMOTIONS! YOU ARE AN _AUTOMATON_!”

Rabbit clenched his teeth. “NO!” he yelled back. "You're WRONG!"

Professor grabbed a small remote from his pocket and pressed a button. Instantly, a wave of excruciating electricity shot from the collar around Rabbit’s neck.

Rabbit screamed in agony, falling to his knees.

The last thing he heard was Professor’s laughter as he slipped into merciful unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: WOW. THAT TOOK AGES UPON AGES UPON AGES TO FINISH MY BRAIN HURTS SO MUCH RIGHT NOW  
> DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE COMMENTS, I HUNGER FOR YOUR WORDS  
> THEY ARE LIKE PIZZA TO ME  
> ALSO- I’m curious to know how many of you are reading this! JUST SWING BY AND GIVE ME A “HELLO”, I REALLY WANT TO KNOW  
> HOPE YOU ENJOY (EVIL CACKLING)

Hatchworth pulled up a chair and sat in front of Spine, spreading a book in front of him.

Since it was midday, the public library was relatively empty. An old woman sat at the front desk, looking bored and flipping through a catalogue.

“I found the book with all the building records around this area.” Hatchworth said excitedly.

Spine took the book, brow furrowed. “You sure this is it?”

“Positive.”

Spine leaned forward, looking Hatchworth in the eye. “Find anything?”

“Well, I found a number of things.” Hatchworth said. He pulled a paper from his pocket, unfolding it on the table. “I wrote down all the buildings that he could be held in.” His head tilted. “Well, the ones that could hold something big, honestly. Like a lab.”

“Anything stand out?”

“There’s one that seems very suspicious.” Hatchworth replied, taking the book and flipping to the correct page. He pushed it across the table. “Small house, used to be a lab for the hospital nearby. When the hospital changed hands, it was bought by someone else- but this person blocked their name.”

“Why would they do that?” Spine mused, scanning the page. “How long ago was it bought?”

“Four months ago.” Hatchworth said.

“That’s it!” Spine said, standing in his excitement. A spark of determination burned in his eyes. “It has to be.”

“So?” Hatchworth said, folding and tucking his notes back into his pocket- “When are we going?”

“Tonight.” Spine declared, closing the book. “We can’t wait any longer- who knows what that-” His lip curled in disgust. “That _Professor_ man is doing to him?”

Hatchworth managed a smile.

“Then we’ll have to get ready, won’t we?”

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Rabbit was woken when he was wrenched from the charging station in his cell.

He blinked lazily, forgetting where he was for a second- but then a kick landed in his chest, and he remembered.

“Get up.” he heard Professor say. Another kick. “Get _up_.”

Rabbit’s joints creaked as he pulled himself to his feet. He kept his eyes on the ground.

“Look at me.” Professor ordered.

Rabbit turned his head to the wall, closing his eyes. He knew it was reckless, but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t follow orders from someone like this.

Suddenly, Professor grabbed his head and wrenched it towards him. His face was lit with rage. “You will _DO AS I SAY_!”

Rabbit’s hands clawed at Professor’s grip. “N-n-never.” he choked out.

Professor pressed him against the wall. “Do you want me to shock you again?” he snarled, moving closer. “Is that what you want?”

Rabbit opened his eyes a crack, glaring at the Professor. But he couldn’t hide his pain, his fear.

Professor leered like a skull, satisfied. “Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” he purred. “Don’t you see, Rabbit? Everything goes smoothly if you listen to me.” He let go of Rabbit. “See? There’s no need to be afraid.”

“I’m n-n-n-n-n-not afraid!” Rabbit hissed. He cursed internally, furious that he couldn’t hide his anxiety.

“Of course not.” Professor said mockingly, stroking Rabbit’s face with the side of his hand.

Rabbit shuddered at his touch, overcome with revulsion. He didn’t dare push the hand away, though- if he was going to survive, he was going to have to sacrifice some pride.

Professor nodded. “Oh, yes.” he said. “That’s much better.” Giving him a wink, he walked out of the cell and locked the door again. Then, he was gone

Rabbit sank down to the floor.

 _How far?_ he thought to himself. _How far will I let this man push me?_

Was it really worth it to keep living? What kind of a life was this? He couldn’t live in fear. There were some things he just wasn’t built to deal with.

Would it be better to just... escape? Erase it all?

The Spine’s face swam into his mind’s eyes, and a deep pain throbbed inside him. _He would kill me if I killed myself_ , he thought, and laughed softly at the irony.

Hatchworth’s voice sounded in his ears, and he sighed. What would Hatchworth do? He’d always been good at improvising, repairing things. Could he fix this, too?

Could _anyone_ fix this?

He thought of himself, of the weapons crammed into every nook of his body. What did he have? What could he do that set him apart? His friends were sharp, talented- what about him?

He was a bronze body infused with clockwork dreams, the tick-tock of a bruised heart in a timeless world. A gentle mind caught in a dangerous body that he did not understand. That he didn’t want to understand.

It dawned on him, as he sat and thought, that maybe he was looking at it wrong. Maybe his hesitation had less to do with fear, and more to do with courage. With humanity.

Maybe it wasn’t about having the courage to hide his fear, rather about having the strength to show it.  Maybe wasn’t about having the guts to end his life, it was about having enough bravery to keep on living.

There was no way to give up. Not now, when Spine and Hatchworth were probably searching for him. Not now, when the Walter girls were sitting in the dark, sitting and waiting for nothing.

Not now, just when he had finally realized that there was nothing wrong with him after all.

With a whirr and a click, a small laser slid from his arm. While he knew he would never be able to kill another with it, he knew that he could use it now.

As he looked at it, he understood. Just as valor gave him his humanity, it could take it away. He had to be careful- the farther he pushed himself, the more mechanical he would become. That was the curse of having a conscious mind, after all.

Rabbit twirled a knob, setting the weapon to its lowest setting. Looking around with alert caution, he pressed it to the cell lock and fired.

_BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ_

Rabbit tensed, worrying that it was too loud- but no one came. The hiss of melting metal filled the air.

And all of a sudden, the cell door swung open. Smoky breath caught in his chest.

He quickly aimed the laser at the collar around his neck, and the lock melted off. He ripped it from him.

This was it. He was free.

 _Move!_ he willed himself, and then he was tip-toeing out the door and into the open lab.

He heard the faint sound of Professor ordering the Walter Girls around in an adjacent room, and realized that he couldn’t save them. He felt sad, but swore to himself that they would come back to them-

But his thoughts were interrupted as Rabbit heard the talking stop. Footsteps.

His eyes widened.

_No._

It was too late to get back in his cell- the lock was already broken. The deed was done.

Rabbit dropped to the ground, sliding under a cabinet. Dust rose into the air, swirled gently, then settled onto his body.

The creak of a door opening, the echoes of footsteps- and then they stopped. And started again.

Professor walked, and Rabbit saw his polished, black shoes sweep by. They filled his throat with dread.

“Rabbit.” he scolded. “This is really a shame. I thought we were getting somewhere this morning. Didn’t you?”

 _How does he know I’m still here?_ Rabbit wondered.

As if reading his mind, Professor responded. “I know you’re here. There is an alarm on the main door of this lab. Do you take me for an idiot?”

Of course, Rabbit realized. Did he really think it would be that easy? That he could just... walk out? Ugh. He took a deep breath, feeling queasy.

“I know you messed up.” Professor said calmly. “Happens to the best of us. So I will give you one chance. Show yourself, and I will consider this forgotten.”

It was tempting, very tempting. But Rabbit knew who he was dealing with; this was not a man of his word. Doubt shimmered at his fingertips, though- the line between bravery and recklessness was blurry. Especially now, when he had everything to gain and everything to lose.

“Well, Rabbit, it appears you’ve made your choice.” Professor said after a minute. “You’ve been a bad robot. Ignoring orders from your master. Preposterous.”

Rabbit closed his eyes.

“What you forget, however, is that I am a genius. I don’t mean to brag, of course, but I am. I asked you if you took me for an idiot, and you didn’t answer. I guess you meant to say no... but did you _really_ think-”

He bent down suddenly, in front of Rabbit’s hiding place. Rabbit gritted his teeth, scrambling back- a hand reached in, grabbing him by the throat and pulling him out-

“-THAT I WOULDN’T PUT A TRACKING  DEVICE ON YOUR CLOTHES?!” he roared.

Rabbit kicked and struggled. He remembered his laser, remembered his promise to Spine to use it if he had to- but he didn’t know if he could. It was too late anyway- Professor had clamped a collar back around his throat.

“THERE IS NOTHING THAT ANGERS ME MORE,” Professor howled, “THEN SOMEONE ASSUMING THAT I’M AN _IDIOT_!”

“P-p-p-p-please!” Rabbit begged. “I-”

“See that thing over there?” Professor said, pointing. Rabbit followed his gaze, seeing a giant metal-crushing machine. “That is where the broken robots go.”

A cold, hard fear gripped him. “N-no.” Rabbit pleaded. Then, louder- “N-N-O! PLEASE!”

“YOU WERE LEAKING OIL YESTERDAY!” Professor shouted, laughing. “I GUESS THAT MEANS YOU’RE BROKEN, DOESN’T IT?” He turned the machine on, and its sharp jaws creaked open.

“NO!” Rabbit cried, jerking and thrashing. “I’LL- I’LL D-D-D-DO ANYTHING, PLEASE, I’M BEGGING YOU!”

“Will you help me KILL?!”

“NO!” Rabbit found himself caught, and oil flowed from his eyes. “NO, I CAN’T! ANYTHING BUT THAT!”

“Then you’re USELESS TO ME!”

“Just let me go!” Rabbit sobbed. “J-j-j-just set me free!”

“And waste perfectly good metal?” Professor said coolly. “I don’t think so.” He dragged Rabbit into the machine and strapped him in.

Rabbit saw a canopy of spikes above him, and his eyes widened in terror.

“Will you help me kill? Last chance, Rabbit!”

“ _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ ”

Professor pressed the button, holding it in place.

The canopy started to descend.

Rabbit squeezed his eyes shut. “Aaaah- ahhhh-” he gasped,  hearing the deathly whirr of the machine. _I’m sorry. I’m sorry Spine, I’m sorry Hatchworth- I’m so sorry-_

An alarm sounded.

And just like that, Professor let go of the button.

A mechanical voice spoke. “Intruder alert. Intruder Alert. Door 1, Intruder Alert.”

“DAMMIT!” Professor snarled. He ripped Rabbit from his restraints and threw him back in his cell, slamming a new lock on the door. Then he whirled, running out the laboratory door.

Rabbit lay in a heap for a second, and then he sat up. Stress overcame him as oil rose in his throat and he doubled over, spilling black liquid all over the floor. Then he lay on the hard, metal ground, chest creaking as it heaved.

It was over.

Oil stained his clothes.

_I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive..._

“I’m alive.” Rabbit sobbed, burying his face in his hands. “I’m- I’m alive.”

But for how much longer?

He squeezed his eyes shut, threw his head back, and screamed his heart out.

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Spine motioned Hatchworth forward, pointing at the door of the house.

Hatchworth nodded, lifting his crowbar. He wedged it into a crack and pushed.

The door swung open.

They crept into the darkness of the house. But it wasn’t completely dark- there was a faint light, shining from a small trapdoor in the floor.

Spine and Hatchworth gave each other a look. They saw the uncertainty in each other’s eyes, saw the fear taking hold of them. It overwhelmed the sadness, the doubt, and yet even with all this they were both strangely empty.

Spine nodded, and Hatchworth wedged his crowbar once more.

_CRACK_

The trapdoor opened and they jumped down, weapons in hand.

“GO, GO!” Spine shouted, and they ran forward- another door- Spine kicked it open and they burst into the room, weapons at their hands-

“FREEZE!”

“COPS!” someone yelled, and suddenly everyone was screaming.

In the wild confusion, Hatchworth noticed that something was wrong. “Spine, stop!”

They paused, looking around.

Men and women stood around. Their hair was messy, and their clothes were rumpled. Empty bottles littered the tables and the ground, surrounded by discarded coils.

It was, indeed, a lab...

A meth lab.

“Don’ kill us, man!” A shaking voice said. “We ain’t killin no one! We’re just- makin some things, not harmin’ anyone! Please, sir!”

Spine lowered his gun, hope collapsing inside him. His head sagged, and he pulled his hat low over his eyes.

With a swish of his coat, he turned and walked out.

“Spine.” Hatchworth said. “Spine!” He turned back to the startled people in the lab. “You should really stop, this isn’t good for you.” he told them, then turned and went after Spine.

The drive home was silent. A tangible sadness hung in the air.

When they got home, Hatchworth put a hand on Spine’s shoulder.

“I know it’s a dead end, and I know it’s discouraging,” he said, “But you can’t give up. You’ve just got to-”

Spine pushed his hand away. “Who said I was giving up?” he said softly. “I... I just need some time. Please, Hatchworth.”

Hatchworth nodded, but a worry hung inside him. He watched Spine disappear into his room.

Spine sat against his charger, sinking down and taking a picture from his pocket. It was a picture of the three of them, smiling. Rabbit in the middle.

He held it to his chest, held it with all his might. He didn’t want the memory to slip away, for Rabbit to slip away. Despair clouded his thoughts, and he found that he was too sad to even cry. An emptiness.

He’d never faced a challenge quite like this, had never had to hold himself together while his world fell apart. It was an impossible thing. What is there to hold on to, when everything crumbles?

It was too much, and the fear and doubt choked him. It was too much. He groaned, holding his head. It was too much, it was too much, it was too much-

He could almost hear Rabbit’s clockwork, could almost imagine the clumsy footsteps outside his door. Almost heard his voice. So far away, like the stars in the sky.

Spine searched for strength inside him. It had always seemed that he had an endless supply, but now, when he needed it most, it was gone.

Rabbit had always been strong, he remembered. Always the one taking risks. When they’d fought, Rabbit always went ahead, risked his life-

_No._

That was not how Rabbit wanted to be remembered.

He couldn’t think about it. Those wars had caused Rabbit too much pain, regret. If he was to remember Rabbit, he had to remember the other side of him; the side that loved and felt, the side that showed courage through emotions.

Spine stood, putting the picture back in his pocket.

It dawned on him that he knew where the strength had to come from.

Rabbit.

He couldn’t let Rabbit become a machine. Professor wanted turn Rabbit back into a thing of war, back into a shadow of what he had become- and Spine couldn’t allow that.

Spine knew that he had to hold himself together. For Rabbit. Rabbit, who found strength through his weakness. Rabbit, who had always come to him for help.

But he reminded himself have caution- if he held himself together too strongly, he would lose his emotions, his humanity.

That was the curse of having a conscious mind, after all.

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Rabbit  heard footsteps outside his cell.

-But these weren’t Professor’s footsteps, he realized with a jolt. He scrambled to his feet and saw Paige.

Her hair cascaded over the front of her dress in soft, purple waves. It shrouded her face in darkness.

“Paige?” Rabbit whispered.

She looked up, and he was surprised to find that her face was sorrowful. Her next words startled him.

“I pushed the alarm button.”

Rabbit gaped. “Wh-what?”

And then her face closed, turning blank and expressionless again. She turned and started walking away.

“Wait, c-c-come back!” he said, reaching through the bars. “Paige! Paige?”

She stopped for a second, looking back just a little. The laboratory light caught on her eyelashes. The goggles on her head twinkled.

Her lips parted, and she looked as though she was about to say something- but then she didn’t. Instead she closed her mouth and walked on, disappearing into the eerie shadows of the lab.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: AHAHA, THE PLOT THICKENS  
> THIS CHAPTER WAS REALLY FUN TO WRITE, BUT I’VE GOTTA DO MATH HOMEWORK NOW ;o;  
> I WOULD WRITE A LONGER NOTE BUT AHH I THINK THIS CHAPTER SPEAKS FOR ITSELF  
> HOPE YOU LIKE ITTTT

Paige hadn’t wanted to press the button, hadn’t wanted to set everything off balance. It had always been the same in the lab. Ever since she got captured... how long ago? Years? She couldn’t remember.

But inside she knew that she lived for the thrill, for the burst of electricity that flooded her processors when she slipped her hand over that button. Exhilarating.

Of course, it wasn’t spontaneous. From the minute Rabbit was dragged through the lab door, bound and with closed eyes, she knew everything was about to change.

And that if it didn’t, that she would change it.

She’d had little sparks like this before. There had been other robots captured- but eventually Professor got bored of them, dragging them begging and screaming to the crushing machine. Over and over, time after time. What could she do?

Something was different about Rabbit, though. He seemed... so alive. Paige hadn’t realized how much she craved life.

It overpowered the deadness inside her, brought her back to consciousness.

That was why, when she heard the screams begin again, she knew she couldn’t watch Rabbit die. That was why she edged towards the alarm button, slipped a finger onto the plastic.

Pressed down. Felt a shiver run through her as her gears sped up.

Truly exhilarating.

Yet she felt bad, watching Rabbit lying on the floor. His eyes were open, but they were dead.

She couldn’t allow it. If his spark went out, so did hers. If he stopped hoping, then all hope was gone.

That was why she advanced, hearing the click of her shoes on the metal floor. Not only walking, but moving. Finally.

Paige wanted to say his name, to crouch down and reach through the bars. She wanted to take his hand, tell him that she believed in him.

Of course, she did not of that. Too much and Professor would notice, through the way Rabbit acted, through the way he looked at her. You could never be too careful.

He looked up, and she watched as the fear in his eyes melted into confusion. His head jerked up, and with a smooth whirrr he was up.

“Paige?” he whispered, and Paige saw disbelief in his eyes.

“I pushed the alarm button.” she heard herself say.

She watched his face go from confusion to realization to hope.

So many feelings dancing across his face.

Exhilarating.

It took all her strength, but she shut her face down and turned to walk away.

He called after her, and for just a second, she turned back. She wanted to tell him about the electricity in her soul, about the hope his courage inspired. Paige wanted to tell him that it would be alright, and that he had to stay strong... so many things.

But she knew it would be too much for him to handle, too obvious to Professor. She walked away.

And as she did, a familiar twitch shot through her hands.

Of course. How could she have forgotten?

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Malfunction.”

Paige’s strong voice pierced the silence.

Malfunction turned slowly, a blank look on her face.

They had not said a word to each other for years.

“Yes?”

Paige shuddered. It felt so strange to hear her sister’s voice- especially like this. It was a dead thing, devoid of emotion.

“Malfunction, listen to me.” Paige said, putting her hands on Malfunction’s shoulders- “We’re going to escape.”

Malfunction stared right through her.

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?!” Paige said. “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for! A robot coming in who has friends on the outside- made by the Walter family, like us! Come on-”

“We can’t escape.” Malfunction said dully, “He’ll kill us.”

Paige’s eyes searched her face in horrified wonder. “What’s gotten into you?”

Malfunction blinked slowly. “What’s gotten into _me_? You’re the one who barged in here, with your head full of ridiculous fantasies-”

“It’s NOT a ridiculous fantasy!” Paige shouted, hands curling into fists. “Malfunction, wake up! Please!”

“I am awake.”

Paige shook her head furiously. “You call _this_ being awake?! Where’s all the feeling we had at the beginning? We tried to escape. We tried-”

“And we failed.” Malfunction finished. “So until this man dies, we are stuck here. I don’t feel like dying anytime soon.”

“We can’t live like this!” Paige said. “Snap out of it!”

“We _can_ live like this, and have been doing so for a while.”

“You don’t understand!”

“Am I supposed to?”

Paige didn’t answer, instead reaching beside her and dumping something onto a table.

A long, gleaming bright red sword. Sharp and ready.

Malfunction looked at it and at her, eyes wide.

“Are you _insane_?! He’ll kill us if he knew! We aren’t supposed to take this back!”

“Aw, him? He’s too busy dealing with Rabbit to notice. Trust me.”

Malfunction turned to disapprove, but found that Paige was holding her own twin daggers in her hand. They also had purple handles, and the same purplish crystals embedded along their jagged edges.

A wild grin spread across Paige’s face, and she flew at Malfunction.

Malfunction grabbed her old sword, feeling the familiar weight in her hands, and barely managed to block Paige’s daggers. “What in the _world_ do you think you’re doing?!” She parried another blow and her eyes narrowed. “You’re being reckless- stop this! Paige!”

“Why?” Paige taunted, diving and thrusting her knives forward again. Malfunction angled her sword low, and they bounced off. “Are you _scared_?”

“He’s going to hear us, he’s going to find us!”

“See if I care!”

_“Paige!”_

Paige laughed, jumping and twirling, arms outstretched. Her blades spun like hurricanes, and she ripped a small hole in Malfunction’s dress. “Come ON, Sis! Why don’t you show me what you’ve got, huh? Come on! Come on!”

Malfunction gritted her teeth, holding her sword in front of her. Paige’s blows struck it, glancing off. Malfunction brought her sword down with all her might, and it whipped by Paige. Missed her by mere centimeters.

A rush shot through Malfunction’s body.

“NOW we’re doing this!" Paige shouted. "Are you scared, Malfunction? Huh?”

Malfunction looked her in the eye, hands tightening around her sword. Paige swung her knives again-

“huuUUAAAAAAAH!” Malfunction yelled, charging forward. The arm with her sword flew by her side, and she swung it forward.

Paige flipped back nimbly, grinning wider. “Now THAT’S more like it!”

A smile ripped across Malfunction’s face, and she charged again.

The girls became a twister of flying limbs and glinting blades. The sound of clanging metal and heavy breathing filled the air as they flipped and swung around each other, challenging one another in a daring dance of death-

“You feeling it now, Sis?” Paige laughed.

Malfunction giggled and shot forward again.

The sound of their grinding gears grew louder as their duel intensified. Apart from that there was almost complete silence, save for the light sound of their shoes darting over the ground.

Flipping and twisting, laughing and lunging-

The sound of an opening door.

The main lab door.

They froze, eyes locked on each other.

Paige snapped into action, grabbing Malfunction’s hands. Her voice was rushed as it tumbled from her black lips.

“I wish I had more time to explain, to talk to you- but I don’t. So I’ll make this simple; Rabbit has friends on the outside. Spine and Hatchworth, you might remember them. Find them. Tell them where we are. Warn them.”

“Warn them about what?” Malfunction hissed.

“Everything.”

Malfunction’s brow furrowed. “Wait! I... I don’t understand. How will I get out of here?”

“If you say you’ll do it, I’ll take care of the rest..”

“Do what?”

“Quick!” Paige begged. “We don’t have much time- please, Malfunction! This is our only chance!”

Malfunction felt a chill run through her- but now the choice was obvious to her, crystal clear. She trusted Paige with her life. And with this new chance, this light at the end of a dark, dark, tunnel... did she really even have a choice at all?

She nodded.

And felt Paige plunge a dagger deep into her abdomen.

Malfunction’s mouth formed an o of surprise as she looked down. Eyes wide.

Oil spurted from her mouth.

“What have you done?” she whispered- but then Paige was snatching all their weapons and shoving them into a drawer.

“I’m sorry,” Paige said, her eyes burning. “But I have to. It’s the only way.”

She gave her one final shove, and Malfunction collapsed onto the ground-

Professor opened the door.

“What the _HELL_ is going on here?!” he fumed, cold eyes sliding over the mess.

Paige had slipped a faraway look back onto her face, and she looked down with a bored expression. “Her calibrator exploded. It was very old.”

“You utter pieces of _GARBAGE!_ ” Professor howled- and for a second, Paige went cold- but then he regained his composure. He knew that he needed them, but he also knew that he couldn’t waste time repairing.

Paige was well aware of this.

His lip curled. “Can she walk?”

Malfunction grabbed the edge of a table and pulled herself up. Her body jerked, but she held herself upright. Barely.

“Go into town.” he spat. “Find a mechanic. If you don’t drag yourself back here in three days, then your sister dies. If call the police, or tell anyone anything about this place, your sister dies. If a stranger so much as sneezes at me, and I am feeling suspicious that day, your sister dies. Understood?”

Malfunction nodded, barely able to talk.

“Now _get out of my sight_.” he seethed, whirling and stalking off to another room.

Malfunction turned to go, but not before Paige caught her by the shoulder. “Wait.” she whispered, reaching into a drawer. Malfunction could see that she was holding back tears.

Paige took Malfunction’s sword and gave it to her, sliding it into the back of her dress.

“You’ll need it.”

Malfunction nodded her thanks through her pain, managing a sad, wobbly smile. Then, she turned and limped out the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Rabbit felt a shadow fall over him.

He knew who it was, just by the sound of those shoes. Hard, almost metallic as they walked.

“Hello, Rabbit.” Professor grinned.

Rabbit slid to the floor, pressing himself to the wall. As if it could swallow him up, as if he could fall through it and be free-

“I brought something new today.” Professor gloated, opening the cell door as he stepped in. “Something to... _persuade_ you to help me. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Rabbit turned slowly-

Something pierced his chest.

The wound wasn’t deep, but when Rabbit looked down he realized that the knife shimmered with electricity-

He screamed, falling to his knees as the shock tore through him.

Professor laughed, but his laughter was full of rage. He plunged the knife back in with every break between words- “WHAT KIND OF- IDIOT- CREATOR- BUILDS PAIN RECEPTORS- INTO- A MACHINE?!”

He gave Rabbit a final kick in the chest and sent him crashing against the wall. A tremendous clanging of metal rang through the cell.

“I hope you reconsider my offer.”

And just like that, he was gone.

Rabbit curled up, still half-crying, half gasping. But inside him, his heart was still beating, and he knew his answer would always be no. Always.

He knew he had to stop making noise- but he couldn’t stop, and the sound poured from his lips, mixing with oil and lead-

Footsteps returned and he recoiled, shielding his face-

But then unfamiliar hands were reaching for him and grabbing his.

He looked up.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Paige cried. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. “You can’t give up. You gave me strength, but I can’t give it back... I can’t...” She squeezed his hands tighter, wiping her face on her shoulder. “Come on, you’ve got to stand up... Rabbit...!”

“P-p-p-paige?” Rabbit groaned, dragging himself closer to the bars. “Wh-wh-?”

“It’s going to be alright!” Paige wailed. “It’s going to- it’s got to-”

Rabbit saw her worry, her fear. “What’s g-g-going on?” She’d been calm the last time she’d approached him- what had changed?

“It’s coming.” Paige replied, leaning her head against the bars and closing her eyes. “It’s coming, Rabbit. The day to stand up and take our lives back... but I don’t think I’m ready, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.” She swallowed, letting go of Rabbit’s hands. “I’m... I’m afraid.”

Rabbit took her hands back, looking her in the eye with a gaze of bittersweet determination.

“Me too, you know.” he said softly. “But there’s no shame in that.”

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Step, step, step.

 _How many more steps?_ Malfunction wondered, as she half-dragged her legs up the sidewalk. _How much more can I walk?_

She had to keep going, but her body was low on oil. Joints creaked. Battery dropped steadily.

Step, step, step.

Had to walk. Keep going. Don’t stop. Never stop.

Step, step-

Malfunction moaned, doubling over the hole in her body. Paige had done her job a bit too well.

Step.

Walk.

_Walk._

“Walk.” She said out loud, and it was a foreign word as she lost the feeling in her legs, dizziness overtaking her mind-

Just a little bit more, just a little bit more...!

She laughed a little. To die so close to freedom, so very close...

_Paige._

Clenched teeth.

Had to keep going.

Malfunction barely noticed where she was going, sight fading as she rung the doorbell of the house... which house? Was it the right house? Who knew?

Her eyes closed as the door opened.

She stumbled, falling against a hard object.

The hard object grunted, struggling to hold her up.

“Hatchworth!” it yelled. “Hatchworth, come quick!”

Malfunction found that the thing was wearing a very nice suit, soft and smelling slightly of soap. And... metal?

Aha.

_Found you._

Her eyes rolled back in her head.

Fade to black.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I CANNOT BELIEVE I SACRIFICED SO MUCH SLEEPING-TIME TO WORK ON THIS I’M GOING TO COLLAPSE TOMORROW AHAHAHA BUT IT IS WORTH IT I THINK  
> NOT THE SMARTEST THING I’VE EVER DONE, BUT AT THIS POINT IT’S TOO LATE TO GO BACK AND UNDO IT  
> SO ENJOY

Chapter Seven

****

The screaming whirr of an electric tool.

“Boy, am I glad she’s not awake for this!”

“Don’t jinx it, Hatchworth.”

Those were the comforting words that Malfunction opened her eyes to.

“HAAAAAH!” she shouted, springing to her feet on the bed.

Hatchworth dropped the powered screwdriver on the floor, letting his mouth fall open in shock.

“What did I tell you?!” Spine hissed.

Malfunction was dizzy, disoriented... where was she again? Who were these people?

She felt a weight in the back of her dress and remembered her sword, pulling it out.

“Wh-whoa!” Hatchworth stuttered, stumbling back. “Spine!”

“Okay, look.” Spine said, holding up his hands with palms out. “Let’s talk this out. Now, why don’t you just-”

Malfunction couldn’t hear him over the ringing in her ears. All she saw were shapes... moving shapes, all around her... she had to get out...?

She jumped, springing off the bed and bringing her sword down. Spine dodged, slamming into the wall. Malfunction swayed on her feet, bringing her sword up again-

CLUNK

A strange feeling shot from her middle, and she looked down to find that an entire chunk of machinery had fallen out.

“Why couldn’t you have just stayed still?” she heard Hatchworth lament.

Hatchworth. Oh.

Whoops.

“Haashworth... Spine?” she slurred. “R-ravvit...”

“Rabbit?” Spine urged, taking her by the forearms. “What about Rabbit?”

But his words didn’t reach her. She slumped onto the floor, sword clattering to the ground beside her.

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

“I can’t believe it.” Hatchworth said. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

Spine was sitting down. They were both staring at Malfunction, laid close-eyed on the bed.

“Did you see, that Spine? She didn’t even have a motor, but she still...”

“Attacked us.” Spine grumbled. “Yes, I know.”

“Without oil, even!” Hatchworth mused, shaking his head in wonder. “Colonel Walter was truly a genius.”

Spine tapped his fingers on the table. “Mhhhm.”

Hatchworth raised an eyebrow. “And what’s gotten into _you_ all of a sudden?”

“Sorry, Hatchworth.” Spine said, embarrassed as he looked up. “I’m just worried. This is all so strange- we haven’t seen Malfunction for decades, yet suddenly she shows up at our door with a hole through her. And she started to say something about Rabbit.”

“But this is good, Spine!” Hatchworth reminded him. “She might tell us where he is-”

“No!” Spine said, voice cracking as he stood. “Don’t you understand?! Why would she have a hole through her? Who would do that, and why would she come tell us _as fast as she could?”_

Hatchworth’s eyes widened. “No.” he shook his head. “It can’t be. That’s- that’s impossible.”

“It’s not impossible, Hatchworth!” Spine shouted. “Who knows what kind of technology this ‘Professor’ has? What if she’s trying to warn us?”

“Stop that.” Hatchworth said firmly. “We don’t know anything yet. It could be that-”

“What if he’s- what if Rabbit’s on his way here right now, weapons blazing-?”

Hatchworth slammed his palms on the table. “Get ahold of yourself, Spine!” He paused, voice taking on a gentler tone. “At least have some faith in the boy, for goodness’ sake! Rabbit has a strong will. You think others haven’t tried to turn our kind before? They’ve all failed. No matter how strong ‘Professor’ is, history repeats and he is no different than those who came before him. You’ve got to understand that.”

“And what if you’re wrong?”

“You’ve got to trust me.” Hatchworth said. Then, he looked at his watch. “I should go get some parts for her, before everything closes. Can you stay and watch her? She might wake up- if she does, can you refill her lead and oil?”

“Sure.”

“And make sure she doesn’t move around.”

“Of course.”

Hatchworth was halfway out the door when Spine turned to him again.

“Wait!” He said. He cleared his throat. “Uh. I... sorry. It’s just...”

“You don’t need to explain anything to me, lad.” Hatchworth chuckled. “You think I haven’t been through this before?”

Spine smiled a bit, ashamed. “Thanks, Hatchworth.”

Hatchworth tipped his hat to him, and was gone.

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Hatchworth walked back from the store, box under his arm. His joints were creakier than usual. Rain was coming.

A car roared by, and he went faster. Every shadow looked suspicious, every van hid a thousand secrets.

You could never be too careful, after all.

He looked down at his feet as he walked, deep in thought.

Oh, Rabbit. Hatchworth had spent so much time fixing him up, trying to make his mechanics smoother. Hours and hours and hours. Rabbit would often get bored, going into sleep mode. At some point he started bringing comic books to the sessions. He always ended up falling asleep on those, too.

Was the Professor undoing Hatchworth’s work right now, right now as he walked down this darkening street? Was he ripping into the electronics, tearing wires and snapping- snapping-

 _Stop it._ Hatchworth scolded himself, shaking his head. _Stop that this instant! Where will that kind of thinking get you? Into the madhouse, that’s where._

An image of Rabbit, with dead eyes half-closed in a pool of lead, flashed across his eyes.

It occurred to him that maybe he belonged in the madhouse already.

“Keep it together, Hatchworth.” he muttered to himself. “If he’s broken, you’ll fix him.”

But he knew that there were some things even he couldn’t fix, and some wounds that could not heal. While he was in Professor’s hands, it was a toss-up. A 50/50 chance. The illusion of having an advantage was of no use to him now.

What if he couldn’t fix Rabbit? All he could do was wait and see, but that burned him. Even with the knowledge and tools he had, some things were impossible. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men.

He felt emotion rise up in his throat, but he did not cry. He had learned long ago that crying was useless. Waste of oil.

Instead, he kept walking.

After all, what else could he do?

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Spine was nodding into sleep-mode when something moved.

His head jerked up, and his eyes widened. Malfunction was stirring, turning her head to one side.

He stood, tensing.

Malfunction’s eyes opened slowly, and he watched as they focused on him. She blinked.

And laughed.

“Don’t worry, suit boy. I’m properly awake now.”

Spine relaxed, sighing and smiling a bit. “Suit boy?”

“As long as you haven’t had the courtesy to introduce yourself, I’m free to call you whatever I’d like!”

“You want to talk about bad manners?” Spine said, kneeling to pick up a tank of oil, “You tried to kill me, remember?”

“Vaguely.” Malfunction admitted. “But okay. In light of this, I think we should skip the formalities and get right to the point. Shall we?”

“The point?” Spine said absently, raising his eyebrows as he poured oil into a measuring cup.

“Don’t mock me.” He heard her say. A sly grin was in her voice. “I see it written across your face. You’re worried.”

He stopped what he was doing.

“Your hands are shaking, Spine.” she warned. “You want to know if Rabbit did this, don’t you? If he fired this hole through me with those lasers of his?”

Spine turned to look at her, eyes uneasy.

Her eyes scanned his face, drinking in every detail. “Oooh, it’s fascinating. The fear in your face.” Malfunction breathed out a cloud of steam, closing her eyes. “Haven’t seen that in a while, you know. Thrilling.”

Spine gave her an amused glance, then turned back to his work. “Thought you said we were going to skip the formalities, no?”

“Ah, but of course!” Malfunction said. “Your friend is fine. Well- hmmm. That depends what you define as... ‘fine’.”

Spine carried the measuring cup to her, handing it over. She took it in her hands, nodding her thanks, and took a sip from it as if it was a mug.

She looked over its rim and saw that his hands were shaking again.

“Care to explain?” Spine asked- but his voice was trembling, and he looked away.

“Now, don’t panic!” Malfunction said. She stopped to take another sip, then went on. “He’s intact, he’s alive, he’s the same person he was a week ago. But there’s already been some close calls, and you can’t wait even a minute longer. You understand?”

Spine rubbed his temples. He knew he should’ve be relieved to hear it, but his worry was still there and his head still ached.

“Nothing eases it, huh?” Malfunction said. Her short hair swung back as she upended the measuring cup, downing its contents in one gulp. She looked back at him, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. “The worry? It’ll be there for a while. It’ll be there even if you do get him back. Never goes away.”

Spine chuckled, sitting on the end of the bed. “You talk about it like you’ve lived through it.”

Malfunction was silent, setting the cup on a bedside table.

Spine tilted his head to the side. “Who?”

“My sister, Paige, is back at that lab.” She answered coolly, laying her hands on her lap, “and if I’m not back in three days, Professor’s promised he’ll kill her. But forget the three days- time is irrelevant to someone like him. While she’s at Rabbit’s side, she’s in the same danger he’s in.” She sighed, a tired smile spreading through her face. “So, you see? You and I are very much alike.”

“But we aren’t.” Spine mused. “You’re calm as ice. Why is that?”

“Are you implying that I don’t feel?” Malfunction said, raising her eyebrows. “Are you saying that I don’t care about my sister?”

“Of course not!” Spine replied, quickly shaking his head. “I know you feel. You were saying her name during while you slept. And you cried.”

Now _that_ surprised her, and she glanced to one side, embarrassed. “Ah.”

“Oooh.” he taunted, grinning. “The fear in your face! So- now, what did you call it?- thrilling!”

“Using my words against me?” Malfunction said. “You have reached a new low, suit-boy.”

“I haven’t jabbed a sword at you yet, so I think I’m fine.”

“Hmph.”

There was silence for a second, and then Spine pulled a knee up to his chest.

“How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“How do you hold yourself together?” Spine said. “That’s your sister down there.”

“So? What’s your point?”

“Where do you get the strength to keep going?”

“The strength?” Malfunction laughed, shaking her head. “What kind of abstract psychobabble have you come up with?”

“...what?”

“I do what I do because I must.” Malfunction explained. “I’ve got to free my sister, I’ve got to free Rabbit, and I want to free myself. I’ve just got to keep going. Common sense.”

“But then- don’t you turn into a machine?” Spine said. “Well, you’re already a machine- but you know what I mean.”

Malfunction looked down, nodding. “Yes. It has happened, I suppose.”

“There’s nothing wrong with letting things out, you know.” Spine said. “Feelings are important. They keep us human. And without humanity, what’s left?”

“Sometimes,” Malfunction said, “certain feelings are best left unfelt, if at all possible.”

“You can’t hide from consciousness!” Spine chided.

“I know that all too well.”

Spine got up, pouring another cupfull of oil. “Are you blocking your feelings right now?”

“No.” Malfunction said, frowning at his back. “I said it HAS happened, not ‘it happens’. And when it did happen, it wasn’t good. I let my sister down. I watched tens of robots die. I was stuck in that lab for years.” She sighed. “How could I do that? To Paige, to myself? I don’t know. So I’m giving this feeling stuff another try.”

“And how’s that going for you?”

A faraway look in Malfunction’s eyes. “It’s strange... but I like it. I’d forgotten how it felt. It’s been years, Spine. Years in that lab.”

“Well, you’re here now.” Spine said, walking to her bedside with a smile, “and we’re going to sort this all out. How does that sound to you?”

“That sounds fantastic.” Malfunction said-

Suddenly, Spine’s arm jerked and the oil fell to the ground, splashing all over. “Oh!” he said ruefully. “This awful arm of mine- just wait a second- ah-!”

He slipped and she reached out, trying to steady him by his arms- when this failed, they both toppled to the ground with a splash-

“Ack!”

“Ugh-”

Hatchworth opened the door.

They stared at each other for a moment.

“Oh.” Hatchworth said, raising a hand to his mouth. “Oh my.” He closed the door.

“Wait! Hatchworth!” Spine scrambled to his feet, picking Malfunction up and setting her back on the bed. He bolted after him. “Hatchworth, it’s not what you think! Come back!”

“RUN, suit boy!” Malfunction cackled. “Run for your pride! _Run!”_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Paige looked both ways, making sure Professor wasn’t there. Then, she tiptoed to Rabbit’s cage.

“Pssst!” she hissed. “Rabbit! Hey!”

Rabbit looked up. “Paige!”

“Hey!” she said, holding up a dusty magnifying glass. “I found one. Now, show me!”

Rabbit smiled shyly, opening a metal flap in his arm.

A intricate web of clockwork and gears laid beneath it, moving slowly and smoothly. Paige gasped, holding the looking-glass up to her eye. “Whoa.” she breathed, eyes scanning the marvel. “That is some complicated stuff you’ve got there!”

Rabbit laughed, embarrassed. “Hatchworth keeps making it more complicated.” he said. “He’s convinced he can make me stop being clumsy.”

“You’re clumsy?”

“Can’t walk a yard without falling on my face!”

Paige giggled, and it was a soft, tinkling laugh. “Well, you know what they say- flying is just like falling!”

“Doesn’t feel much like flying to me.” Rabbit sighed, and Paige laughed again. Rabbit couldn’t help but grin.

He also couldn’t help but notice how much brighter the place was when she was around. Company was the best medicine, it seemed.

A dark thing gnawed at his mind, though, and he spoke hesitantly.

“Paige... how long have you been down here?”

Paige let out a breath, closing his arm and looking him in the eye. “A while.”

“A while?”

“I’ve honestly lost count!” she said, drawing her knees up to her chest. “Years, probably.”

“And... how did you get captured?”

“That’s the thing!” Paige said sadly, shaking her head. “I don’t remember anymore. By the I realized I’d forgotten, it was too late, of course. I know I was captured, but I don’t know why or when or how. I remember life before, but my time down here has been a blur- you know the feeling?”

Rabbit thought of the war, of countless battles. “Yeah.” he said finally. “I think I do.”

“But I’m not worried, Rabbit.” Paige breathed, grabbing his hands and clasping them together. “Malfunction’s out there now. This is it, Rabbit. This is where this ends, and something new begins. It’s going to be great, Rabbit, you’ll see!”

“I don’t know.” Rabbit admitted. “I’m scared. I’m scared that this won’t be easy.”

“When is anything easy?” Paige said. “We’ve got to work for our freedom. You’ll see! It’ll be- it’ll be-” A drop of oil fell from her eye, and she wiped it away.

“Paige?” Rabbit said worriedly, laying a hand on her arm. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want you to die, Rabbit.” she said, voice thick with tears. “I’m scared, too. I’m scared that your clockwork will stop. I’m scared that he’ll kill you!”

“Your life could go on just fine without me, you know!”

Paige shook her head. “No, Rabbit. You’re different, and I already started talking to you. I should have stayed silent, ignored you- but I couldn’t. Now you are tied to my hope, and if you die then you take it with you.”

“Oh, Paige.” Rabbit laid his head in this hands. “Why d-d-d-d-did this have to happen? To b-b-b-both of us?”

“Because some machines are people, and some people are machines.” She replied. “And they can’t coexist.”

“No, they really can’t.” Professor said.

Paige’s eyes flew open, and she froze. Rabbit sucked in a breath.

Professor walked into the light. A cruel smile tore across his face.

“Poor silly girl, that sister of yours.” Professor said, holding up a small device with blinking dots. “Forgot about the tracker on her clothes. And your sister, I’m afraid, is not where she’s supposed to be. No, not at all.”

“No!” Rabbit shouted, grabbing onto Paige. Not now, not now... “No! I w-w-w-won’t let you!”

“As if you could FIGHT ME!” Professor laughed. “As if you could KEEP me from doing anything at all! Now, tell me this.” He grabbed Paige, ripping her away from Rabbit and holding her up. “If you don’t help me use your weapons, she dies. So what’ll it be?”

No.

Rabbit shook his head wildly. “N-N-NO!”

Paige was cold. Her mind was frozen.

“YOU SURE?!” Professor yelled. “LAST CHANCE, RABBIT!” He started walking towards the crushing machine.

“NO!” Rabbit pleaded. His vision swam, and his knees shook as he stood. “P-P-P-PLEASE!”

Professor threw her under the small canopy of spikes, tethering an arm in place. “What do you think, Paige? Should I turn you into scrap metal?”

“Go to hell.” she hissed angrily. She turned her head. “Rabbit, don’t say yes! Never say yes! You’re strong, stronger than you think!”

This answer displeased Professor. His face reddened, and he pressed the button.

Rabbit screamed, losing the ability to form words. And now her eyes were closing, her fists clenched-

Rabbit fell to the ground, oil gushing from his eyes, as the first of the spikes touched Paige’s chest-

And then Professor suddenly stopped the machine. With a thunderous fury that filled the air, he strode over to Rabbit’s cage and reached through the bars, grabbing him by his collar. Shook him.

“WHY WON’T YOU BREAK, YOU STUPID MACHINE?!?” he howled, voice reaching volumes that made Rabbit flinch. “YOU USELESS THINGS! YOU ROBOT SCUM!”

When Rabbit stayed silent, he dropped him and went back to the machine. Ripped Paige from it, opened the cell door, threw her in. She landed with a clank.

“You’ll have the honor,” he said, “of watching your friends die. They will be blown to smithereens once they touch the door. Then, I will figure out how to break you. I will break you both until you obey me.”

He walked away.

Rabbit and Paige clutched each other, held on to each other as if the world was falling apart. He could hear her drives spinning and she could hear his gears clicking and turning, a symphony of sounds which accompanied their panicked gasps on their way to the bare, rusty ceiling.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: OKAY GUYS THIS IS IT. WE’RE AT THE TOP OF THE ROLLER COASTER, LOOKING DOWN. IT’S BEEN NICE KNOWING YOU. LOOK FOR PARALLELS WITH EARLIER CHAPTERS. AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THE SMALL DOGS IN THE WORLD, pleASE LEAVE COMMENTS :D  
>  _ENJOY_

Chapter Eight

****

The three of them were at the table, focusing intensely on the crudely drawn map before them. Leaning in so close that their heads almost touched.

“This,” Malfunction said, pointing at a square on the map, “Is the cage. Right in the main lab-space.”

Hatchworth scanned the drawing. “Does Professor ever leave?”

“I’ve almost never actually seen him leave the lab.” she replied. “He has a room where he sleeps, but it’s impossible to predict when he wakes up or sleeps. If he _does_ sleep.”

“Never leaves, barely sleeps...” Spine rubbed his forehead worriedly. “What kind of guy _is_ this?”

Malfunction sighed. “A very dangerous one. We’ve got to be careful.”

“Okay.” Hatchworth said. “Now, lets think about this! How about we list of everything that could possibly go wrong?” He leaned back, pensive. “You mentioned traps and bombs. What else?”

“He’ll threaten to kill Rabbit and Paige.” Malfunction muttered. “Of course he will.”

“He might not expect you to come, though.” Spine reminded her. “If we distract him, could you sneak in and free them? Or at least get Professor from behind?”

Malfunction nodded.

“I imagine he’s got weapons, yes?” Hatchworth said. “Or- those men that came after us?”

Malfunction shook her head. “The soldiers? They’re only there when he needs to do something big. Since he doesn’t know we’re coming, he won’t call them.”

“Robots?”

“I don’t think he’s got that many.”

Hatchworth nodded, thinking it over. Looked up.

“And... if he does know we’re coming?”

“Then we fight.” Spine said, standing. “Nothing else we can do.”

“When will we be ready, Hatchworth?”

“It’s noon, right?” He looked at his watch. “I’ll have everything we need ready by sunset.”

Spine looked around at them. “Then we’re good?”

“I sure hope so.” Malfunction said.

Her voice, as well as their minds, were filled with doubt.

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Rabbit and Paige let the silence do the talking, let their oily tears speak for them as they sat side-by-side. Hand-in-hand.

Neither of them went into sleep-mode to charge. If this was the end, then they would live every second of it. If there wasn’t much time, they would savor the time they had left- no matter how bitter it was, how hard to live through. There had to be courage, there had to be hope. Always.

It seemed like hours, like days, but eventually footsteps sounded again.

Paige squeezed Rabbit’s hand.

“Be strong.” she whispered, and then Professor was before them.

“Your friends are on their way.” he said. They couldn’t see his face- he was a silhouette of darkness against the bright laboratory lights.

They didn’t dare speak.

“They’re coming for you.” he went on. “And they will die for this. This is your last chance to save them, Rabbit. Say your weapons are mine, and I will take them. I will leave you and your friends alone.”

“Never.” Rabbit whispered. Then louder, defiantly- “N-n-never.”

“You don’t have to do this!” Paige interrupted. She knew it was futile, but she had to try. “You can’t win.”

“Oh, but I can.” Professor replied. “And I will. You will watch me win. I will break you. I will break you both.”

Rabbit touched the back of her arm, silently sending a warning. Paige understood and was quiet.

Professor turned just a little, and they saw his expression. A frozen smile and cold, unfocused eyes. He gazed into a neverending distance. It was worse than his angry moods, much worse. Here, truly, was his madness. His lack of feeling. It was in the blankness of his face, in the ice of his eyes.

He opened the cell door.

“Stand up.”

With one last squeeze of each other’s hands, they stood. Arms at their sides.

Professor walked forward slowly, the button that controlled their collars in his hand. They noticed he had also brought a mass of chains, and they scraped along the floor as he went.

“Back to back.”

They did as he said, and then he was snapping cuffs on them, on their wrists and their ankles and necks, binding them in chains. Once he had done this, he grabbed them by one of the chains segments and pulled. Unable to keep their balance, they fell over, and he dragged them to the crushing-machine. Shackled them under it so they were lying under the spikes, with Rabbit facing out and Paige towards the wall.

That was how he left them as he went to prepare.

They could feel each other trembling, and then Rabbit could hear Paige crying- not loudly, but with small gasps and coughs. Swallowed sobs.

“I’m really starting to hate this thing.” he said, glancing up at the spikes.

No response.

“P-p-paige.” He choked out. “Hey.”

Her head turned slightly.

“If w-w-we survive this, I’ll g-g-get Hatchworth to make you s-s-some oil tea.”

“Oil tea?” she asked, curious. “...What’s that?”

“Well, it’s n-n-not really tea.” Rabbit admitted, “It’s just oil in mugs. But we p-p-pretend it’s tea. With little tea bags and everything.”

Paige giggled through her tears. “That’s silly..”

“And boy, wait ‘till you t-t-t-taste Hatchworth’s oil soup. Now _that’s_ fantastic!”

That made her laugh. In fact, Paige felt strangely calm- but that worried her, and she shivered.

“Rabbit, what’s going to happen to us? To them?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t.”

“Well...” she stammered. “I was just thinking- that if they all die... then there’s truly no one left on the outside, is there? No one left to help us.”

Rabbit felt worry squeeze his chest, and he swallowed. He knew where the sentence was going. He knew.

“If that happens, then... wouldn’t be better if I just shut down?” Her voice trembled. “You too. Both of us? Together-?”

“Don’t you talk like that.” Rabbit warned, remembering what he’d been told long ago. What he hadn’t understood until later, much later. He moved his hand as far back as he could, until he felt hers- “What good are you as a tin can in a closet? Nothing is more precious than consciousness.”

“But I can’t do this, Rabbit.” She was crying again. “I can’t live like this. Not when I’ve finally become conscious. I don’t want to be cold again.”

Now Rabbit was crying too, oil making black streaks down his face. “Don’t you d-d-d-dare, Paige!” he sobbed. “Don’t you dare kill yourself! I haven’t known you long, but I know you’re f-f-f-full of courage. Remember? You p-p-pressed that alarm button. That takes real bravery. You’ve got to keep going, even if I d-d-die.” He bit his lip. “Please, Paige. You’ve got to p-p-p-promise.”

“I- I can’t-!”

_“Please!”_

Paige gritted her teeth.

“Fine! I won’t!”

A short silence.

“I... I’m s-sorry.” Rabbit stuttered, ashamed. “I made a promise too, actually. A promise I couldn’t keep.”

Paige heard the pain in his voice, and closed her eyes. “I don’t know what you promised, and I won’t pry. But if I keep my promise, you’ve got to keep yours. Okay?”

She felt him nod, and smiled through her sadness.

One last question popped into her mind.

“Hey, Rabbit?” she asked. “How... how do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“How do you keep saying no to him? When he asks for your weapons?”

“I don’t know, Paige.” he replied. “And honestly, it scares m-m-me a little sometimes.” He paused to think. “Because it makes me feel like a machine. But d-d-deep down, I know that it’s a human thing too. And we are human, Paige. N-n-never doubt that.”

“I know.” Paige murmured. “I... I think I know what you mean.”

“So I guess that’s your answer.” Rabbit concluded. “I do it because it keeps me human. I can’t stand the thought that people could die because of me.”

“Yes.” Paige said. Laughed a little. “Yes. We’re human now, aren’t we? Right now?”

“Of course.” Rabbit answered. He grinned. “C-c-can’t you feel it? The blood in your v-v-veins? Your skin?”

And for just a moment, they felt it. Their lead ran red. Their metal was warm and delicate.

They couldn’t see one another but their hands met, fitting each other like gears on the same living machine.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Six beings, standing far apart. Waiting.

One struggling to keep feelings inside, one struggling to let them out.

One in fear of courage, and one in fear of fear.

One determined to fix, and one determined to break.

And the world spun on, turning like clockwork, equally covered in soothing light and gentle darkness as the night advanced.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG ;o; I HAD A NASTY RUN-IN WITH SOME ALLERGY MEDICATION AND BECAME SOMEWHAT OF A ROBOT MYSELF FOR A DAY OR TWO  
> OH, THE IRONY  
> DKSLJDKSLAHDSJK I HOPE THIS ISN’T AWFUL  
> I have honestly LOST the ability to tell ^_^”  
>  _ENJOYYY_

Chapter Nine

****

Standing. Facing a door built into the wall of a subway tunnel.

“Ready?”

Spine looked around at them, at their determined, conflicted faces.

They nodded.

Edged closer to the door.

Closer.

Closer.

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Rabbit looked up to see Professor walk into the room. He nudged Paige, who was still secured facing the wall. But there was no need- she’d heard the footsteps too.

They knew what he was going to say, knew before he even opened his mouth. He said it anyway.

“They’re here.”

Rabbit and Paige were perfectly still- listening closely, waiting for a sound, any sound...

There was a perfect silence.

Then, Professor turned sharply on his heel. Whistled.

A group of men- armed with machine guns- flooded out of a room.

“Ready?”

They men lifted their guns.

Paige took a deep breath, turning her head the most she could.

“How about you, Rabbit?” she whispered. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” he responded, “Which... which isn’t m-m-much, honestly.”

“Come on.” Paige murmured. “We can do this. They can do this. You’ll see.”

Rabbit nodded, trying to believe her.

The tension was unbearable, almost tangible in the cold lab air...

And then-

_Clink-clink... clink..._

A small, round object bounced into the room, coming to spin at the men’s feet.

They looked down at it. A simple penny. Why...?

And then explosions sounded at the entrance, the racket of booby traps going off. Smoke poured from the narrow hallway leading from the entrance door-

Two shapes, barely visible in the cloud, emerged from the darkness-

 _RATATATATATATATATATATATAT-_  
  
Gunshots, so many gunshots- all aimed at the figures in the smoke, the figures Rabbit knew to be Spine and Hatchworth. A scream fell from his lips- there was no way they could survive that, no way-

Paige heard Rabbit’s scream and assumed the worst-

All at once, it stopped. The final clink of shells falling to the floor echoed. Bated breath as the smoke cleared.

But to everyone’s confusion- and Rabbit’s relief- the figures were not his friends. They were simple automatons, just frames on wheels with sheets draped over. Riddled with bullet holes, yet still ticking-?

“BOMB!” someone shouted, they all hit the floor as the figures exploded.

Blazing light flooded the room. Smoke followed. Confusion and chaos, shouts and scattered gunshots-

Yet suddenly, when Rabbit opened his eyes, Professor was next to the machine.

“I know you’re there!!” he shouted. His finger was on the button. “Now reveal yourselves- or your friends die.”

When the smoke cleared, Rabbit saw them. Saw Spine, hat low on his head and gun in hand. Saw Hatchworth behind him, a canon protruding from his arm. A rush of feeling left him lightheaded.

“The Spine! Hatchworth!” he called.

Paige gasped. “Malfunction-?”

“SHUT UP!” Professor snapped. Then, he turned back to the intruders, a smile on his face. “Stand down.” he told the men stirring on the ground. Most of them had been knocked out.

“Rabbit?” Spine breathed, incredulous. He had caught a glimpse of copper, the faint traces of a voice. The hand holding his gun started to shake.

“Keep it together!” Hatchworth hissed.

“Well, well.” Professor grinned like a shark. “Welcome! Now, don’t give me those dirty looks- you are my guests here, after all. Very important guests.”

“Let them go, and we’ll let you walk.” Spine said, voice trembling with rage. “Simple as that.”

“Oh, but there’s so much to discuss!” Professor urged-

“While Rabbit and Paige are under those spikes, there’s nothing to discuss.” Spine hissed. “Let them go, and we’ll let you walk.”

“What, this thing?” Professor said innocently, laying a hand on the death machine. “It’s just a precaution, don’t worry-”

“Step AWAY from it!” Spine shouted, lifting his gun. It wasn’t quite a gun, in fact- it came from inside his arm, linked to his core. A single bullet would be deadly.

“Whoa, now!” Professor said, holding up his hands. “Careful with that! Someone might get hurt.”

Spine didn’t budge.

Professor’s eyes narrowed. “Right to the point, then? Alright; if you extract one of your weapons hand it over, then I’ll leave you alone. I will leave and never come back. How does that sound?”

For a just a second, Rabbit panicked. “Don’t do it!” he called. “Please, Spine!”

Professor turned to him with burning eyes. “Shut _up_.”

“Of course not.” Spine responded. He took a step forward, gritting his teeth. “You know our answer. Now, if you don’t leave, I’m going to shoot you.”

“Not a very good idea!” Professor warned. “I have my finger on this button. I just have to press it once, and these spikes will tear into your friends.” His grin spread. “Can you hear it, Spine? The crunch of metal, your friend’s delicious screams? Thrashing about like trussed-up pigs-”

_Shhhk_

All of a sudden, a sword was at his neck.

“Ah. Malfunction.” Professor said. He didn’t seem worried. “I’m glad you’ve returned. Now, why don’t you go stand over there with your allies?”

“Malfunction?” Paige cried, struggling to look around.

Malfunction’s eyes narrowed. “I’m going to cut your throat to _ribbons.”_

“Not a very good idea, either.” Professor said. “I have insurance. Someone who will activate this machine wirelessly if I die. It cannot be stopped once it has started. So I’ll only say this once more- why don’t you go stand with your allies?”

Malfunction choked back despair, disappointment. The sound of her shoes as she walked back to the others was heavy, leaden.

“Good, good.” Professor rubbed his neck, a smile returning to his face. “Now, what do you say? Do we have a deal?”

Spine tensed, at a loss for what to do.

He couldn’t do it. If he said no, Rabbit would die. Rabbit would die. They seemed unreal in his mind, those awful words- but it was painfully real, real and in front of him.

Yet if he said yes, then Rabbit would never forgive him- and he would never forgive himself. No, the choice was obvious here. But it hurt. It hurt more than anything ever had.

He looked towards Malfunction, finding her in the same state. That was her sister under those spikes, after all.

Spine felt a sharp, unbearable pain take hold of his mind. His knees wobbled.

Rabbit.

“No.” he whispered.

Professor blinked. He seemed genuinely surprised. “No?” he echoed.

Spine forced his head up, forced his eyes to lock onto Rabbit’s. Rabbit nodded, tears gathering in his eyes.

Tears came to Spine’s eyes as well, and now his whole body was shaking. “Never.”

“That,” Professor said, shaking his head, “Is a shame.”

“Close your eyes, Paige.” Rabbit whispered, reaching for her hand.

“I’ll miss you.” she whispered back, lacing her fingers with his.

And then, Professor pressed the button.

Spine shouted something unintelligible, throwing himself forward- unbridled panic in his eyes-

A deafening creak of the machine-

A cold laugh-

The crunch of pierced metal-

And-

a-

_CRACK_

Paige’s eyes snapped open. Not- dead?

“Rabbit!” she hissed. “Rabbit!”

Rabbit’s heart was still in his throat, and he looked around. “What-?”

Hatchworth was standing by them. His wrench was wedged in between the roof of spikes and the surface under it. Lead dripped from his hand.

“SPINE!” he roared. “ATTACK!”

Spine absorbed his panic, feeling it spread through his body, and then channeled it into anger. Energy. The gun in his hand.

He raised it and fired.

Professor ducked. “Tsk, tsk,- careful with that!” he scolded. “Someone might get hurt, you know!”

“SHUT _UP!”_ Spine shouted.

Meanwhile, Hatchworth drew an electric circular saw from his pocket. It spun to life with a whirring scream.

Rabbit and Paige flinched at the sound as Hatchworth pressed down. Finally, there was a clink- falling chains- and they were free?

But not quite. The spikes had already dug into them- not very deep, but reaching their pain receptors.

“I’m going to have to pull this up.” Hatchworth said. “Are you ready?”

Rabbit’s eyes widened. “Hatchworth, wait-!”

Hatchworth poured tremendous energy into his arms, wrenching it up-

Rabbit and Paige screamed-

And then, all at once, it was over. Hatchworth grabbed their hands, pulling them into a sitting position.

Rabbit winced as he forced himself to his feet. “S-s-spine-!”

“No!” Hatchworth said sternly. “Rabbit, Paige, you are damaged and almost out of power. Just run.”

“We can’t!” Paige cried. “We’ve got to fight!”

Hatchworth shook his head. “You can’t fight. Just look at the state of you!”

“If I have leaned anything f-f-from this, Hatchworth,” Rabbit stuttered unflinchingly, “It’s that we _stick together.”_

Hatchworth gave him a long look, and then bowed his head. “If you want to stay, stay. But this goes for both of you- stay _out of the way,_ understood?”

They nodded. “Come on.” Rabbit whispered to Paige, giving one last backwards glance. The Spine was a blur of limbs and gunshots. Like a true war machine.

Rabbit shivered as Paige grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

Spine fought on.

Professor had found his gun somewhere along the way, and now they exchanged fire.

Spine leapt back, diving behind an overturned table. “There’s no way you can win!” he shouted. “You’ll be out of ammo soon!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“If you get shot just _once_ , you’re dead!”

“Well, fortunately, I don’t plan on getting shot today.”

He heard Professor’s shoes click over the floor as he approached. Finding himself out of options, Spine stood and fired.

Professor ducked and ran forward- Spine swung his fist at him-

And hit a hard surface. A bullet-proof vest... of course.

Professor grabbed his arm and pulled him down. Spine fell to the ground but twisted, aiming upwards- shot and missed, as Professor dropped to the ground-

CRACK

Gunshots echoed off the walls, and Spine pulled himself to his feet again. He truly had become a frightening sight- his black coat swirled around him vengefully, and rage darkened his face. He strode forward-

But suddenly, Professor was reaching into his pocket. A button-?

He pressed down, and a metallic voice sounded.

“Warning. 30 seconds until fatal shock.”

Spine looked around and froze for a second, confused. What...?

A faint beeping noise reached his ears, so he turned to see where it was coming from- and his heart dropped.

Rabbit and Paige were looking down, startled, as their metal collars flashed red.

“GET OUT OF THE RANGE OF THE LAB TRANSMITTERS!” Malfunction yelled. “GO! _GO!”_

Paige grabbed Rabbit’s hand and half-dragged him towards the lab door. But he was going to slow- his body was too damaged-

But Spine was suddenly there, swooping past and grabbing Rabbit as they ran, threw themselves at the open laboratory door- kept running- down the subway tunnel- up the stairs-

When they burst out of the lab and into the cold night air, the red finally faded from Rabbit and Paige’s collars. There was a collective sigh of relief- but it didn’t last long.

The Professor had followed, rising up from the subway and standing before them. He smiled.

“I told you!” Spine shouted, fists curling. “You can’t win! We’re outside now. There are five of us. You’re done.”

“Just walk away!” Hatchworth pleaded. “It’s the reasonable thing to do!”

“Reason?” Professor hissed. In the dim light from the lampposts, they could see his face descend into a new madness. “How can you ask me to reason when _YOU_ CAN’T THINK?!”

A few men trickled from the subway tunnel behind him, machine guns at the ready.

“When you DON’T HAVE FEELINGS?!” Professor raved.

Spine looked around at the soldiers. Things weren’t looking so good now, and his stomach turned.

“When you are JUST AS BAD AS THE DISGUSTING HUMANS WHO _POLLUTE THIS WORLD!”_

“Look, calm down.” Hatchworth urged. “We can fix this. We can-”

“OH, NO YOU DON’T!” Professor ranted. “IT’S FAR, FAR TOO LATE FOR THAT!”

An unholy grin ripped across his face.

“FIRE!”

A volley of bullets, and the automatons dropped to the ground.

Spine darted forward, letting out a roar- but Professor grabbed him, and with an incredible strength picked him up, spun, threw him. Spine fell, crashing down the subway stairs.

“SPINE!” Malfunction shouted. She ran after him, but then the bullets peppered the ground around her and she stumbled- dodged-

But then one of them dug past her leg, and the electronics slowed. The ground rushed up to meet her.

“Malfunction, no!” Paige turned to go after her- but halfway there, she heard a click and stopped. A man was standing in front of her, holding a gun to her head at point-blank range.

The last man emerged from the shadows, pointing a gun at Hatchworth’s head.

Rabbit stood still, face frozen in bewilderment. A blank confusion.

 _Is this really it?_ he thought. His mind was numb. _Are we going to die here?_

“Well, well!” Professor cackled. “This is a surprise, isn’t it?”

A silence. He giggled again.

“Such a pleasant surprise!”

“Not really.”

Professor whirled.

Spine had climbed back up the stairs, holding his gun pointed straight at Professor. He wiped a trickle of lead from his mouth.

“Oho!” Professor said softly, “Would you _look_ at that!”

Spine’s eyes narrowed.

“That was _quite_ the fall, wasn’t it?”

“Call your men off, or I shoot you.”

Professor sighed. “Such _awful_ manners!”

Spine’s face hardened. “You’re insane.”

“Haven’t you ever considered,” Professor replied, “That _I_ might be the sane one, and all of you are crazy?”

“Then I’d rather stay crazy.”

“But WHY?!” Professor shouted. His face twisted. “What’s the POINT?! You’re automatons! You don’t _FEEL!”_

“That’s a lie!” Spine growled. “That’s a dirty lie, and you know it. Why else would you hold them hostage? You KNOW!”

“YOU’RE _PROGRAMMED THINGS!”_ Professor spat. “You- can’t- _FEEL!_ It’s IMPOSSIBLE!”

“LOOK AT ME!” Spine roared. “Do I look impossible to you?"

Professor’s face reddened. “IMPOSSIBLE!” he babbled. “Impossible! That’s impossible! You’re lying! They all lie! That’s what the humans do- they lie and cheat and steal!”

“That’s what _you’re_ doing!”

“NO!” Professor yelled. “I’m not like them. I’m not like them. I’m not.” He grinned. “I’m not-”

“DAMN _RIGHT_ YOU’RE NOT!” Spine shouted. “YOU’RE A _MACHINE!”_

Professor howled. “MACHINE?!” His head shook wildly. “YOU’RE the machines! Ha! Ridiculous!"

“You might be flesh and blood,” Spine said, voice shaking, “but you are mechanical.”

 _“What?”_ Professor snarled.

“That’s right.” Spine gritted his teeth. “You are nothing but a machine. You have no love, no sympathy, no caring. You act because you have _programmed yourself_ to. Your blood is warm, but your heart is cold. Metal.”

“How DARE you?!” Professor sputtered. “The very thought!”

“Now, I will ask you one... last... time.” Spine said. His voice was dangerously low, almost inaudible. “Call off your men, or I am going to-”

_BAM_

Spine’s eyes flew open. It took him a moment to understand.

There had been one more man, lying in wait by the stairs. One more. One more man with a gun.

Spine stumbled.

The man had missed his mark, but Spine was still hit. A hole sizzed in his abdomen.

Spine put a hand to the wound, and when he lifted it away it was stained with lead.

“Oh.” he said.

The Spine collapsed, falling to his knees on the concrete. His body shook with spasms.

“SPINE!” Rabbit cried, oil streaming down his rusty cheeks. _“NOOOOOOOOOOO!”_

“I’m sorry, Rabbit.” Spine choked out. He coughed, and droplets of lead flew from his coal-black lips. “I... I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t save-”

“DON’T MOVE, DON’T TALK!” Rabbit wailed. “STAY _STILL,_ THE SPINE!”

Spine found that he had no other choice. His limb-processors were rebooting.

“AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAA!” Professor laughed madly, nails scraping down the sides of his face. “MARVELOUS, MARVELOUS! HAHA!”

Rabbit looked around at his friends, letting his eyes trail slowly over each and every one of them.

Malfunction, admittedly, he didn’t know very well.

Hatchworth, whose thick eyebrows now knitted together in worry under his hat. He’d always been a fixer, a healer, and his deep laugh could make anything right.

Paige. A flame of bravery with sparks of fear, all mixed together into a colorful whirlwind of feeling. Now she walked the narrow tightrope of her mind, arms trembling as if she were about to burst.

Spine. Always there for him, with his soothing voice and smooth words. The velvety smell of his long, silky coat. Now his eyes were soft, soft and forgiving as they always had been- all those times, all those late nights when starlight shone from the windows and Rabbit felt like his world was falling apart. All those late, late nights.

All the unbearable, beautiful humanity.

And now, under the same sea of stars, Rabbit looked down at his hands. His clumsy, good-for-nothing hands.

He understood that they could both create and destroy, that the very things used to build could be used to damage.

He understood that it was over- and that it wasn’t.

That no matter how much he changed, he would never break. Could never break.

Because he had made a promise, a promise to two different people. A promise that now gripped him, made the night ten times colder, made the moon seem to fade.

And now the love inside him was overpowering the hate, the courage was overcoming the fear, and the power to create and destroy swirled around each other like clouds.

 _I love them._ he realized. _I love every single one of them, so much. I love them and it hurts._

_And... and I promised._

“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, RABBIT?” Professor jeered. “ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE YOUR MOVE?!”

Rabbit loved them all. He loved them so much. It filled him. Made his consciousness tangible. Made his core warm.

There was a sharp click. The crickets seemed to stop their song.

Lit by the moonlight and the stars, surrounded by frigid night and lukewarm wind, eyes wide and filled with all the love and humanity in the world, Rabbit raised his laser and pointed it at the professor.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: AND HERE IT IS, THE LONGEST AND MOST DRAMATIC CHAPTER YET  
> PREPARE YOURSELVES >:D  
> Please leave comments- and ENJOY!

Chapter 10

Rabbit held his laser steady, pointing right into Professor’s center.

It had started to rain now, and drops of water splashed across the pavement outside. Distant thunder rumbled.

Professor’s face was strange now. There was anger, of course, and amusement- but there was also something else. Rabbit couldn’t tell what it was- but it was definitely there.

Was it confusion...?

“You’re _bluffing.”_ Professor spat, mouth twisting.

Was it... could it be sadness? Anger? But no; that didn’t seem to fit. Rabbit’s head tilted.

Professor shook his head. “You can’t do it. You’re too weak.”

And suddenly, it hit him. Rabbit knew what he was looking at.

It was disappointment.

 _Why would he be disappointed?_ Rabbit wondered. _What... what could this mean?_

“ARE YOU GOING TO _SHOOT?!”_ Professor shouted, anger flushing his cheeks.

“Yes.”

“HA!” Professor sneered. “Don’t make me laugh. You couldn’t do it before.”

Rabbit took a deep breath. “Y-y-you’re going to hurt my friends. I can’t let you. I p-p-promised.”

“When my escorts came after you!” Professor reminded him. “Your friends were in danger! THEN you didn’t-!”

“P-p-people CHANGE!” Rabbit cried. “Go away! LEAVE! All I want are my friends- that’s it, that’s enough!” His voice grew desperate. _“I WANT MY FRIENDS BACK!”_

“People change?” Professor said. Then, louder- “People CHANGE?! YOU ARE _NOT_ A PERSON!”

Rabbit clenched his teeth. “I’M HUMAN!”

“YOU ARE AN AUTOMATON-”

Then Rabbit shouted, and it shook his entire body- _“I'M HUMAAAAAN!”_

An ear-shattering clap of thunder sounded, accompanied by a bolt of lightning.

“My men will kill your friends.”

“N-n-ot if you’re gone.” Rabbit said, voice trembling. “They just want to get paid. If you’re gone, they’re gone.”

“You WOULDN’T!” Professor seethed. He drew his gun. “YOU CAN’T! YOU’RE JUST A _MACHINE!”_

“P-p-put that gun away-”

“JUST A MACHINE! JUST A MACHINE!”

“I said _PUT THAT G-G-GUN AWAY!”_

Professor shook his head wildly, finger tightening on the trigger. “JUST A-”

Rabbit fired.

_BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzz-_

The blue light was blinding, burning-hot as it blazed into the professor-

Professor was pushed back, back, back until Rabbit couldn’t see him through the monstrous azure glow.

Rabbit shook convulsively as it continued-

started crying-

trembled harder-

and then he was closing his eyes, praying for it to be over, to be over, to be over, please be over, please be over-

_Please be over-_

And then his prayers were answered.

Just... not in the way he might have wished.

The laser, not having been used to such an extent for years, had become rusty. Clogged.

Unstable.

KA- _BOOM_

A huge, fiery explosion at its barrel.

Rabbit was thrown backwards, engulfed in a ball of flames. He landed on the ground, scraping to a stop, and was still.

Perfectly still.

Deathly still. Eyes closed. Mouth open.

When the smoke cleared, Spine saw- and a scream bubbled from his lips.

A chunk was missing from Rabbit’s chest.

 _“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”_ Spine cried, dragging himself to his feet. He stumbled, ran forward, barely able to see through the oil in his eyes- sobbing- “RABBIT! RABBIT!”

He fell to his knees at Rabbit’s side. Put his hands on his shoulder, shook him. “Rabbit- Rabbit, please- hey! Hey!”

Rabbit was unresponsive. Not a single tick sounded from within him.

“Noooooooo.” Spine moaned, grabbing him and burying his head in his chest. His shoulders shook. “Rabbit- Rabbit-”

He remembered Rabbit. Lively, laughing Rabbit. Sad, heartbroken Rabbit.

An incredible pain squeezed his heart and he gasped, a moan slipping from his lips. It felt like the earth was shaking.

All he wanted was to see Rabbit smile again. To tell him that it was alright. That was it. But now he knew that he never would, and that their mission had been over from the minute it had started.

Spine squeezed the lifeless metal body a little tighter. The leathery smell of Rabbit’s jacket made him shudder in agony.

He screamed, doubling over with Rabbit in his arms. Tears spilled from his eyes.

The rain-soaked coat draped over his long, arched back shimmered in silvery lamplight.

“Rabbit!” He cried brokenheartedly. “Rabbit, _wake up!”_

Spine bit his lip, trembling so hard that he could hear his electronics creak.

The grief was overtaking him now, the grief and the terrible love.

“RABBIT, _PLEASE!”_

When there was no response, Spine’s breath shortened to small gasps. His head was spinning. He... he had failed.

He closed his eyes as he laid Rabbit down on the ground.

Leaned over and kissed Rabbit on the forehead with lead-stained lips.

Tenderly. With great care, though inside he was shattering.

Paige, a few yards away, was frozen. Staring. Uncomprehending.

It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be that the gears she’d seen, gleaming and living under the laboratory lights, were now stilled forever. It couldn’t be.

Yet Rabbit had told her to carry on, to keep going- which worked just fine in theory. But in real life, in the dark, when the night was cold and the shaking didn’t stop, it seemed impossible.

Now her hope was leaving her like the oil pouring down her cheeks, and her eyesight seemed to swim and fade.

She remembered what she’d said, in that moment under the spikes. When they both thought they were done for.

_I’m going to miss you._

Her hand clenched into a fist, and she could almost feel Rabbit’s within it. Remembered his words.

_Close your eyes._

She squeezed her eyes shut. Saw Rabbit’s body in her mind.

Paige wept bitterly, wrapping her arms around herself as though she was falling apart. She wept for the only true friend she had had in years- for his life, his courage. For the love he’d had for them all.

It had led to his downfall, but he had saved them.

The men around them had started to stir, a bit uncomfortable, a bit embarrassed. They’d obviously never been in a situation like this.

Hatchworth noticed. Hatchworth, after all, was a practical mind, and he pushed aside the dreadful burning inside him to focus. Felt the weight of the bag slung across him. He had to focus. He had to wait for his chance.

And now, he’d found it.

Hatchworth turned to the man pointing a gun at him.

“Please.” he pleaded. His voice was hoarse. “I’m begging you. Let me fix him. Let me _try.”_

The man’s head tilted.

“PLEASE!” Hatchworth begged. “You can go raid the lab. He’s not going to pay you now. Professor is _dead!”_

The man seemed to think it over for a little.

Hatchworth held his breath...

And then a short nod.

The gun lowered, along with all the others’. Through his mask, the man spoke. Said something unexpected.

“Good luck.”

And all at once they all melted into the shadows, slinking back down into the subway tunnel.Gone.

Instantly, Hatchworth was running.

“Hatchworth?” Spine croaked, turning- but then Hatchworth was pushing him aside, kneeling in front of Rabbit.

“Malfunction! Paige!” he called. “You’ve worked in labs, right?”

They nodded.

“HELP me!”

They stumbled, struggling to stand, and half-dragged themselves over to him.

Hatchworth opened his bag, spreading the materials over the pavement.

“Alright.” he said fiercely. “Check the blue matter core. Temperature regulators. Steam chambers. Balance calibrators.”

“Steam chambers cracked!”

“Balance calibrators loose.”

“Temperature low.”

Hatchworth shook his head. “But what about the core?”

“Processors cracked!”

“Eyes intact-”

“THE _CORE!”_ Hatchworth shouted.

With shaking, fumbling hands, Paige grabbed a screwdriver. Eyes narrowing in concentration, she pried open a metal flap...

Malfunction grabbed her sister’s hands, steadying them.

They both wrenched one last time, pulling with all their strength- there was a pop-

And Paige gasped.

Her eyes widened. Could it be?

“Blue matter core... intact?” she breathed.

Electricity shot through Hatchworth’s wiring.

_Intact._

The word spread through him, making his head spin. But no- he had to keep his focus. He nodded.

“Lead?”

“Half-full. Tank cracked.”

“Oil?”

“Intact!”

Paige was stuttering now. “Th-the m-m-memory chip! What about the memory ch-chip?”

“Only one way to find out.” Hatchworth said. He opened his arm, drawing a wire out from a spool. Then, he opened Rabbit’s mouth and plugged it into the back of his throat. Adjusted a few dials along the inside of his arm.

“Come on, come on...!” he muttered. Then, to the Walter girls- “It’s not working. Something’s gone wrong!”

“There must be a broken connection.” Malfunction said. She picked through the wires inside Rabbit, checking them one-by-one. Then- “Aha!”

“Where?”

“Look, this-”

Rabbit’s eyes opened.

Spine had been tense and still until that moment, waiting by the sidelines. But now his breath caught in his throat, and his eyes widened. “Rabbit-?”

But then Rabbit’s mouth opened, and it wasn’t Rabbit who spoke. It was a scratchy, pre-recorded tape.

“Boat rides, two cents a person! Boat rides!”

Spine’s mouth opened in shock. “What?”

“Boat rides!” Rabbit said. His face was expressionless. His mouth clicked unnaturally as he spoke.

A panic rose in Spine’s throat. “What- Rabbit? No- N-no-!”

Hatchworth turned to him. “Calm down, Spine, it’s just the backup program!”

Spine was beyond reason. “RABBIT! _NO! PLEASE, NO!”_

“Boat rides, two cents a person! Boat Rides!”

_“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHhHhh!”_

“Malfunction, take care of him!” Hatchworth shouted.

Spine clapped his hands over his ears, eyes wide and desperate. “MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP-!”

“Boat rides-!”

Malfunction whirled, slapping Spine across the face.

Spine felt no pain, but it shocked him. He lifted his hand to his cheek.

 _“PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!”_ Malfunction yelled. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him angrily- “STOP THIS!”

“He’s gone!” Spine cried. “He’s gone, he’s gone forever-”

“PULL-” _slap-_ “YOURSELF-” _slap-_ “TOGETHER!”

Now his pain receptors were picking up her hits, and he flinched.

“I _know_ it hurts!” Malfunction shouted. “It’s _supposed_ to! But you’re going to have to STOP PANICKING!”

Spine pressed his lips together, nodding. Malfunction turned, running back to the others’ side.

“Boat rides, two cents a person!” Rabbit’s backup program soullessly declared.

Spine felt sick at the strange voice, and the coldness of it. At the machine-like tone. Oil rose in his throat.

Hatchworth’s and the girls’ arms were blurs as they worked.

“Limb connection restored!”

“I’ll get the chest-piece back into shape.”

“Help me weld the secondary tank!”

Sparks flew. Lead was everywhere.

“Can’t find any tube links- Hatchworth, what do we do?”

“Duct tape will do for now. We’ll fix him completely later.”

Hatchworth held his breath as he worked. Could it be? Could they fix him? He had to have faith. He had to fix.

He could only hope now, hope and work.

“Alright.” Malfunction said finally, pulling her hands back. “I think we’ve done all you can. Hatchworth, give him a jump start.”

Paige took a shaky breath. “And... if this doesn’t work?”

“Then it won’t ever work again.” Hatchworth said. His voice was hollow.

Everyone was still.

He turned a dial.

_BZZZZZZSSSSSSSS_

A crackling sound.

They all leaned closer...

Yet...

Silence.

“Temperature... still low.”

“Lead isn’t moving.”

“No.” Hatchworth said. His teeth clenched. _“No!”_

Because Rabbit was still unresponsive, just as he’d been before. Nothing had changed.

Hatchwork felt tears squeeze from his eyes. Waste of oil, he thought. He cried anyway.

Spine pushed Hatchworth aside, trying to see. To understand. Hatchworth closed his eyes, shaking his head.

A fresh wave of sadness spread through Spine’s mind.

He gently put his arms under Rabbit and lifted him up. Gazed. into the familiar face, Saw the shock collar on his throat. 

_I should take that off._ he thought numbly. With a soft touch, he took a screwdriver and pried the collar off Rabbit’s neck. It fell to the ground with a clank.

Spine looked up at the others, cradling Rabbit in his arms.

“Rabbit was kind... good. Human.” He whispered. “And we can’t ever forget him. Ever. You understand?”

Paige buried her face in her hands- but she nodded.

Everyone else followed.

“I... I just wish...” Spine looked down at him, bowing his head. “I just wish... we could tell him... that he-”

Rabbit’s eyes flew open, glowing a brilliant green.

Every

body

froze.

Time slowed.

“Ah- ahh- ahh-” Rabbit gasped.

No one moved.

Suddenly, Rabbit’s body twisted as he choked on the wire in his throat, and he rolled over- gagged as oil poured from his mouth, soaking Spine’s clothes-

And all at once, everything was moving quickly, faster than it had ever been.

Hatchworth ripped the wires from him. “Rabbit! Rabbit, can you hear me? Rabbit!”

Spine held his breath.

Rabbit suddenly looked up, straight into Spine’s eyes. A moment’s pause.

“Th... the Spine?” he wheezed.

Spine’s world stopped.

“Rabbit?”

Before he could say anything else, Rabbit’s chest heaved and he made a dreadful noise again. Oil gushed from his mouth, and his hand grabbed onto Spine’s coat.

When he had finished, and his shuddering gasps finally slowed, he looked around and swallowed.

“Spine.” he said softly. And then it hit him, the whole of what had happened. He let a wail fall from his lips, and then he threw himself forward, throwing his arms around Spine’s neck. _“SPINE!”_

Spine grunted under the weight, tipping sideways a little. But he still held on, clutching Rabbit with all his might.

Rabbit buried his head in Spine’s jacket, breathing in the familiar scent. Spine could hear his muffled cries.

“The Spine!” he wept. “The Spine, I th-th-thought that I would n-n-never see you again! I thought I was _d-d-dead!”_

“Me too.” Spine replied, voice trembling with emotion. He closed his eyes, laying his head on Rabbit’s hat. “Oh Rabbit, me too.”

Rabbit remained against the familiar, soft fabric of Spine’s coat. A warm feeling bloomed from his heart, spreading through him- there was nothing that could hurt him now. He was safe. Safe...

But all of a sudden he remembered, and his heart dropped. A fresh wave of sadness. With great effort he pulled himself away, and forced himself to look.

Professor’s body laid nearby, smoking a little.

“I... I did that.” Rabbit said. He bowed his head, turning a little to the side. “I k-k-killed him.”

“It’s _okay_ Rabbit!” Spine insisted. “You had to!”

Rabbit’s eyes lit with a frantic sadness, and he looked back up at Spine. His hands curled into the folds of Spine’s clothes.

And then all the doubts that he’d had before came creeping back, all the worries, all the feelings that had haunted him.

“He w-w-w-wanted my weapons.” he whispered sadly. “He wanted me to use them... and I d-d-did. He b-b-b-broke me-”

“That’s nonsense, Rabbit!” Spine said. “You did it to save us-”

“But is that _really_ all I’m GOOD for?!” Rabbit cried, shaking his head. “Am I just a machine? Weapons to be used?”

Spine looked down at Rabbit with care and tenderness, brushing the tears away with careful hands. But as he did, he realized that all the things he’d told Rabbit before, when Rabbit had approached him under the starlight... all those things were no longer enough.

Not enough to heal Rabbit’s broken heart.

Not enough to smother the pain.

And so Spine answered him, answered in the only way he knew how.

He took Rabbit’s face in his hands, and Rabbit looked up at him with wide, sad eyes.

“Rabbit,” Spine said gently, “No matter what the professor says- what anyone says- you are conscious, and you are alive. Your weapons don’t matter. You are good.” Rabbit started to cry again, silent tears. Spine went on- “Because you are worth more than the sum of your parts, more than even you could imagine. And that’s what makes you human.”

“Human?” Rabbit whispered.

“He’s right.”

They all turned, startled.

The voice-?

Professor.

He had not moved, but that had been his voice.

Spine stood slowly, helping Rabbit up. Together with everyone else, they walked cautiously to the professor’s side.

Professor saw their faces and chuckled a little.

“You’re all so stiff.” he said. “Do I look like I’m going anywhere?”

Spine glanced around at the others, then back at Professor.

“What do you mean... I’m right?” he said warily.

Professor gave a sigh. “My mind is clear now, clearer than it’s been for years. I have Rabbit’s laser to thank for that- dying really brings out the sanity, you know?”

He coughed, and his lips shone with blood.

“But yes, Rabbit,” he continued, “Spine is right. You are not only good for your weapons. In fact, I never wanted your weapons at all.”

Rabbit blinked, shocked. “Wh... _what?”_

“That’s right.” he confessed. “I never intended to get weapons, or to kill anyone- not at first. Well... this requires some explanation. I was a young scientist, only beginning to work, when the War struck. Before I could react, or escape... my wife and daughter were murdered.”

Spine bowed his head. “I’m sorry-”

“Don’t be.” Professor interrupted. “It was not your fault- it was because of a small group of very evil people. But I didn’t realize this at the time, and chalked up their deaths as the responsibility of the human race. I lost all faith in humanity, decided that everyone was evil.” His breath was growing labored now, but he still continued. “So, I decided... that I would find good- and that if it wasn’t in humans, then I would find it in artificial intelligences. Automatons.”

“But- but you weren’t d-d-doing that!” Rabbit pointed out.

“At first I was.” Professor said. “I would take the robots, tell them that I wanted their weapons for murder. Threatened them when they refused. But they always said yes, eventually, and I grew disenchanted. I went insane slowly, started to torture them. Eventually, started...” he took a deep breath- “killing. Even when they said no. I became a shadow of my former self. Everything is a blur since then- and then the pain from your laser woke me up, and I am dying.”

“But _why?”_ Hatchworth said. “How could that happen?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Professor responded. He smiled a little, and there was sadness in it. “But I am glad that I’m awake, and I thank you. And... I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Paige echoed hollowly.

Professor nodded. “I know it means nothing, but I am. I just have say it. So that you’ll never lose faith in humanity. And yourselves- another kind of human, but human all the same. Never doubt that..”

“I... I forgive you.” Rabbit said. He gave a wobbly smile. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Malfunction sighed. “I suppose I do too.”

Paige nodded in agreement.

Now the Professor was smiling, and the grin was sincere.

“Then there might be hope for us yet...” His voice trailed off, and his eyes closed.

He moved no more.

“What was his name?” Hatchworth whispered.

Spine looked up at him. “He didn’t say.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance and Rabbit’s face crumbled. He whirled and squeezed Spine tight, grabbed his arm-

CRACK  
  
Spine’s arm hung limply by his side.

“God _dammit,_ Rabbit.” Spine said sternly, and then they were laughing, and then they were crying, crying together as the rain washed away their pain.

And in the dim lamplight, their metal looked smooth and round, softened by the shadows.

They almost looked... human.

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

They were doing some last repairs on Rabbit before they went home. The sky was lightening- the night was over, and the rain had diminished to a drizzle.

“I think that’s it.” Hatchworth said, wrapping his tools. “We’ll finish at home, Rabbit, but you can move around now!”

“How do you feel?” Paige said tenatively.

“Pretty g-g-good!” Rabbit said, smiling as he wiggled his fingers. He looked up at Paige. “Hey, Paige... I just wanted to say that-”

Paige caught him in a tight embrace. “Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. No more apologies. We’re okay. Everything is okay now, Rabbit.” Tears of relief gathered in her eyes. “We’re free!”

“We’re free.” Rabbit echoed. The happiness struck him and he giggled, leaping to his feet and taking Paige’s hands. He lifted her, swinging her around- “We’re free, we’re free!” They spun, and Paige's hair fluttered in her face.

Once Rabbit set her down they looked into each other’s eyes, giddy with joy. Hugged each other again with tremendous force, nestling into each other's arms.

“Hey- careful, Rabbit!” Hatchworth complained. “You’ll crush each other to death! Paige! Hey!”

The peals of laughter reached Spine and Malfunction’s ears. They looked up.

“Ugh, it’s so sweet.” Malfunction joked, sticking her tongue out. “It’s making me sick!”

Spine grinned, holding his arms out. “Shall we?”

Malfunction shook her head, scoffing indignantly. “Not on your life!”

Spine put his arms down- but then Malfunction was hugging him anyway, grinning, and he chuckled.

After a while, she pulled away. Spine looked to her.

“Say,” he said, “If you have nowhere else to go... would you like to come live with us?”

“With you?”

“We’re thinking of starting a band.” Spine sheepishly explained, rubbing the back of his neck. “Or... something like that. I mean, if you want to.”

“I’ll give it some thought.” Malfunction said. “I just wish I could remember...”

All of a sudden, Malfunction stumbled forward. She gasped.

“Malfunction! What’s wrong?” Paige said worriedly, running forward and grabbing her by the shoulder.

Malfunction held her head, staring fixedly forward. Then, she looked up.

“I remember.” she breathed. “I remember what we were doing when he caught us.”

Everyone was paying attention now.

Paige’s eyes widened. “What? What was it?”

They all looked to her in wonder.

“We...” Malfunction concentrated. “It... It was Peter Walter the Fifth.”

She looked up.

“He wanted to see you.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: ARE YOU READY, KIDS?  
> (Aye aye, captain!)  
> ENDING NOTES AT THE END~ IGNORE THE LITTLE LINK UNDER THIS, SPOILERSSS!

Chapter 11

****

They told him the story slowly, careful to keep in all the details.

It was noon, and sunlight streamed in through the windows of the mansion. The elderly Walter the Fifth reclined in a chair, eyes closed as he listened. Before him the robots sat in a semicircle, cross-legged on cushions on the ground. There were few chairs, after all- the living-room was filled with tables, all piled high with paperwork, metal parts, and half-made machines. The entire house, in fact, was somewhat of a workshop.

Walter’s son and wife were out of town, so the only ones remaining were some of Walter’s employees.

“...and then Malfunction remembered, and we came here.” Spine finished.

Walter paused for a second, chin set on his wrinkled hands. He opened his eyes, leaning back.

“And all of this is true.” he said.

It wasn’t a question, but Spine answered anyway.

“Every word.”

Walter looked down, rubbing his forehead. “Oh.” he said sadly. “Oh, my automatons... how could this happen? This is all my fault-”

“Don’t say that!” Malfunction said, standing and going to his side. She put a hand on his shoulder. “How could this be your fault?”

“Not mine, no.” Walter said, shaking his head, “But that of the first Walter. Sometimes, I wonder...” he sighed. “If... it was a mistake to make you so human. It’s made you suffer. All the consciousness, the pain receptors-”

“Don’t be sorry!” Rabbit piped. “It’s great! Well, almost always. But when it’s great it’s fantastic. And when it’s not... well, we still need it.”

Walter smiled slightly. “You think so?”

Paige nodded. “Definitely. Without it, we’d be gone by now!”

“Hm.” Walter mused. “Well, that’s good. But... it worries me to think that this might happen again.”

There was a collective shudder at the thought.

“We can be more careful.” Spine assured him. “This is the first time things have gone so far.”

“It might not be the last.” Walter noted, peering at him. “You can never be careful enough to avoid these things. It’s impossible. These people are unpredictable- you understand.”

The robots gave each other a look.

“Mr. Walter,” Spine said carefully, “What... what exactly are you trying to say?”

“The truth is hard sometimes.”

Hatchworth leaned forward. “You can tell us! We trust you.”

“Alright,” Walter said, “What if I told you... that you should shut down?”

They froze.

Paige let out a soft _“What?”_

“I knew you wouldn’t like it.” Walter muttered. “At this point, I can’t take the weapons away. They’re built into you. I can, however, shut you down. Maybe permanently, maybe in a vault-”

Rabbit looked around at all the others’ shocked expressions, then at Walter. “No!” He stood up, the ticking in his chest intensifying. An image of his friends, still and cold, flashed through his head. “That’s dying! That’s what we’ve b-b-been trying to prevent all along! I can’t-”

“It might seem that way- but consider this;” Walter interrupted, “Soon, I will be unfit to run the company. When that happens, who knows what my son will do? It’ll be better. No more pain.”

“NO!” Paige shouted. She stood up and grabbed Rabbit’s arm. “You won’t take my sister, and you _won’t take Rabbit!”_

“Relax, guys!” Spine said, calmly shaking his head. “We understand, but our answer is still no. You understand, Walter- right?”

“Of course, of course.” Walter nodded, smiling. “To be honest, that’s the answer I was hoping for. It would just about break my heart to see you shut down.”

Paige and Rabbit sat down again. Paige looked down, a bit embarrassed. “S-sorry, I just-”

Walter laughed. “No need to apologize! It was just an option I had to offer. And speaking of options- I had an idea for you all.”

Hatchworth eyed him, still wary from the last recommendation. “Oh?”

“If you remember,” Walter continued, “Originally, you were built as singing automatons. It was only later that you were modified for war. I sent the Walter girls to get you, because I had been thinking... would you like to return to that?”

Spine froze for a second, mystified. “To... to singing?”

“Yes-”

“WOULD we?!” Rabbit shouted excitedly, a grin spreading across his face- “We’d LOVE to!That’s p-p-p-perfect!”

“But... uh...” Spine said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, “H-how?”

“A couple of my employees are interested in helping.” Walter said. “Mr. Reed?”

A head peeked through a door. “Hello!”

“Would you call the rest?”

“Matt, Steve!” he called. “Walter’s calling!”

There were footsteps, voices- and then two others entered the room.

“They’ve come.” Walter said.

“Took them long enough!” Steve said, crossing his arms. The dreadlocks piled on his head swung around his shoulders. “We called you... what, a year ago? More?”

“Well, we were sort of in the middle of something.” Malfunction said flatly.

“Were you?”

Paige raised her eyebrows, voice thick with sarcasm. “Yeah, getting captured and stuff. That sort of thing.”

Steve reddened a little. “Haha! Oh. Uh.”

“Well, we’re here now,” Hatchworth said quickly, “And that’s all that matters! Right, folks?”

“Sure.”

“Why not?”

“Anyway,” Walter cut in, “You won’t all fit in a car, so I have rented a bus. It is parked out back- why don’t you all go home and get some rest? Once you’re all fixed up, you can start planning. Maybe move into here eventually, so we can keep an eye out for all of you.”

“Home.” Rabbit whispered. It seemed like an eternity since he’d been there.

“Ooh! I call shotgun!” Steve yelped.

“There’s only one front seat on a bus, Steve, and it’s the driver,” Matt grinned, “So thanks for volunteering!”

Steve sagged, grumbling under his breath as he snatched the keys from the table. “Honest mistake.”

“Let’s go!”

“Thanks, Walter!”

“Thank you!”

“See you later!”

They went out the door- all except for Rabbit, who hesitated.

“Something wrong?” Walter asked.

“I... I’m just curious.” Rabbit stammered, shifting a bit. “The Professor. We never learned his name!”

“Yes?”

“And... I was wondering if you knew. Who he was, I mean.”

“I do.”

Rabbit’s eyes widened. “Really?!”

“Yes.” Walter said, a strange look in his eyes. “Yes. I did. He was an old friend.”

“But- his name?”

“You don’t need to know.” Walter said, giving him a slight smile. “If he didn’t tell you, then it was for a reason. You didn’t meet him, anyway- you met the Professor. Never confuse the two.”

Rabbit nodded, a bit confused. “Alright.” He turned, running after the others- “Thanks!”

Walter watched him go from his chair.

Once the door had closed, he stood up and walked to the phone. Picked it up and dialed.

Someone answered. “Hello?”

“Keep your hands off my robots.” Walter said. “This is your only warning.”

The voice grew annoyed. “Have you finally lost it, old man?”

“I know you had connections to him. I know that you led him here. You should be careful- play with fire, and you will get burned. You should know that better than anyone.”

Silence.

“It’s not my fault if your machines are in the wrong place at the wrong time, Walter.”

“It is your fault if you take the wrong place and time to them.”

“You’re crazy.” the voice scoffed. “Don’t call me again.”

Click

Walter stood for a second, hearing the tone. Then, he dialed another number.

“Hello?” he said. “Mr. Reed- yes, it’s me. Can you tell the robots to pick up their things and move here immediately? There’s been... a change of plans.”

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Around a month later, they were ready.

“How do I look?” Spine said, twisting to look at his back in the mirror. “Does my spine look okay?”

“You look fine!” Malfunction laughed. “Stop worrying!”

All of a sudden, Rabbit burst in- “WE’RELATEWE’RELATEWE’RELATE-”

“Huh? But it doesn’t start until-” Spine looked at his watch and blanched- “Whoa!”

“Rabbit, come back here!” Paige yelled, running after him. “You forgot your thingy!”

Hatchworth stumbled in, instruments piled in his arms. “Help- heavy-!”

Steve dove through the door in a whirlwind of dreadlocks, reaching under the heavy pile and lifting. They lowered it to the floor together. “Slowly, slowly...!”

There was a clatter and they fell back, exhausted.

Matt burst through the door. “We’re LATE!”

“We KNOW!”

Paige hurriedly connected Rabbit’s microphone. “Okay, Rabbit- remember, don’t fall off the stage! Or have a short circuit! Don’t move around too much-”

“I’ll be f-f-fine!”

“Just don’t do ANYTHING. Stand there.”

“Paige!”

She giggled, shaking her head. “I’m _kidding!_ For goodness’ sake, Rabbit. You’ll do great!”

Rabbit smiled shyly. “Y-y-ou really think so?”

She gave him a tight hug in response, then whirled and ran to help Steve.

“You ready?” Spine said, raising an eyebrow.

Rabbit gulped. “Not really!”

The five of them slipped backstage, into the shadow. The curtain hung in front of them, heavy and dark.

“Remember,” Mike whispered, “Don’t turn the amp up too loud!”

“Haha... uh... what’s an amp again?”

Matt sighed. “Lord help us.”

“Hey.” Spine said. “You can’t expect us to remember everything. We’re only human, after all.”

He winked at Rabbit, and Rabbit grinned.

Yet suddenly the curtain was rising, and blazing lights were spilling onto the the stage.

The announcer spoke.

“And now, ladies and gentlemen,” he proclaimed, “Get ready for the incredible singing automaton band- Steam... Powered... _Giraaaffe!”_

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And that night, when Rabbit slipped out of his room to see Spine, the stars were as clear and bright as they’d ever been. Even now, as he walked the unfamiliar hallways of Walter Mansion. Even now. Always.

Spine was sitting at a workshop bench, bent over a project, when Rabbit sidled up beside him.

“The Spine?” he whispered.

Spine turned to him, raising his eyebrows and smiling. “That’s not my name, you know.”

Rabbit leaned against Spine’s chest, closing his eyes. Heard the steady clicking noise within.

“The Spine?”

Spine rolled his eyes. “Yes?”

“I... I think everything’s going to be okay now.” Rabbit said, smiling.

Spine wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him tight. “Oh, Rabbit... I sure hope so.”

Rabbit curled up in the warmth of Spine’s electronics, closing his eyes. “But- and even if b-b-bad things happen... I think we can g-g-get through them. If I’m with y-y-you guys.” He tried to open his eyes again, but found that he couldn’t. “And I...”

He trailed off.

Eventually Rabbit’s breathing slowed, and he slipped into sleep mode.

It was three in the morning.

The Spine stood, cradling Rabbit in his arms. He walked out into the hallway.

Paige peeked out of her room, saw them. “Is everything alright?” She said softly.  
“Yes- he just fell asleep.” Spine said. He leaned down a little. “Could you take him to his charger?”

Paige held out her arms. “Of course.”

Spine gently laid Rabbit in her arms, and she held him with strong arms. But just as Spine was turning to leave, he stopped. Looked around.

“Paige... could you take care of him?”

She understood what he was asking of her.

“Always.” she promised, nodding.

When Spine made his way back to the workshop, Hatchworth was waiting.

Spine stopped, confused- “Hatchworth?”

“I’ll finish fixing this for you.” Hatchworth replied, raising an eyebrow. “In the meantime, why don’t you go talk to Malfunction? I saw her go downstairs. She seemed worried.”

Spine nodded, still not understanding- but he slipped away, quietly going down the stairs. He found Malfunction at the breakfast table, mug in hand as she stared out the window.

He pulled out a chair, sitting. “Malfunction?”

“Hmmm?”

“Is... is everything alright?”

Malfunction turned a little, and Spine saw a streak of oil on her face.

“Malfunction!”

“Everything's _fine!”_ she laughed.

“Then... why are you...?”

“Because I’m happy, Spine.” she said, eyebrows lifting- “Am I not allowed to be happy?”

“No- of course you are! I just-”

Malfunction gave a sly smile, standing up and flicking his hat down. “You worry too much.”

Just as she was walking away, Spine reached out, snagging her sleeve. She turned curiously.

“I’ve never seen you cry before.” Spine realized.

“You have terrible manners, you know that?”

Spine laughed. “I couldn’t care less.”

Malfunction smirked, pulling him up, and they walked upstairs together.

****

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

In Rabbit’s room, Paige gingerly connected his wires. She adjusted his sleeping form on his bed. Walter had insisted that they use them- they weren’t really necessary, but it looked more natural.

She was about to leave- but then she paused, turning to look at him.

Sighed.

Paige crept onto the bed, scooping Rabbit into her arms. She leaned his head against her chest.

His eyes opened for just a second. “Paige...?”

She bent her head, dark hair falling around him like a curtain, and kissed him gently.

Rabbit let out a soft “Mmmm...” and his eyes closed. He was still.

Paige leaned back, gazing down at him.

She would be there when he woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL, hope you enjoyed that! ^o^  
> I worked PRETTY DARN HARD on it!  
> SO MANY HOURS OF SLEEP LOSSSST  
> But I think hope it was worth it!  
> THIS ISN’T QUITE THE END, THOUGH- I’m making one more chapter, just talking about some ‘deleted scenes’- that sort of thing!  
> I AM ALSO MAKING SOME SPG ONESHOTS IN THE FUTURE, PROBABLY  
> Remember- comments are my FAVORITE thing!  
> THANKS FOR READIN’


	12. EXTRA THINGS

EXTRA THINGS

I thought you guys might want to know some stuff!  
THIS IS PRETTY MUCH AN FAQ  
SO HERE GOES

-WHAT'S MALFUNCTION DOING HERE I THOUGHT WALTER GIRL BRIANNA WAS IN THIS  
  
Since Brianna stopped being part of SPG, I replaced her with Malfunction! I didn't want it to be strange for new spg fans.  
Don't worry- If Hatchworth leaves, I won't replace him! This is just a special case~  
  
-WHERE IS THE JON  
  
AHHH I KNOW HE’S OFFICIALLY ON THE TIMELINE but I really wanted to include Hatchworth, and if I included both of them- well, it would get complicated! ;A;  
It was hard enough getting the THREE main robots an equal share of lines!   
In the story, at least for me, he DOES exist, though- he just doesn't show up! He's probably around the Walter house, doing- whatever it is The Jon does in his spare time!  
  
-WHY ARE THE WALTER GIRLS ROBOTS IN THIS  
  
Believe it or not, it makes things less complicated! Mostly because robots can survive a lot of things humans can’t. Getting shot, for instance. Or stabbed! FUN

-THE PROFESSOR IS REALLY STRONG HE LIFTED RABBIT CLEAR OFF THE FLOOR WHAT  
  
YES _THAT_ WAS AN ACCIDENT I DIDN’T REALIZE THAT UNTIL SOMEONE POINTED IT OUT AHHH

-who IS the professor anyway

SHHHH IT’S A SECRET

-       WHO WAS WALTER ON THE PHONE WITH

OKAY _THAT_   ONE IS PRETTY OBVIOUS  
If you pay attention to what they say and refer back to the backstory, I think you’ll figure it out!

-       WHERE’D THE IDEA FOR THIS COME FROM

ORIGINALLY, this was going to be a funny fic about Rabbit getting kidnapped and transferred to a human body, and The Spine and Hatchworth still have to save him- but NO angst

BUT THEN I THOUGHT “HMMM, WHAT WOULD CHANGE IF RABBIT WAS HUMAN”  
and then “HMMM, THE ROBOTS ARE ALREADY PRETTY HUMAN”  
and that turned into “HMMMM, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN”  
and of course that morphed into “HAHAHAH I AM GOING TO WRITE AN ANGSTY FIC IN WHICH ALL THE ROBOTS SUFFER HORRIBLY!!!! HAHAHA WHEEEEE”

 

I CANT THINK OF ANY MORE QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF  
Ah, but there is ONE more thing I’d like to tell you guys!  
Was anyone wondering why the last chapter took so long to make? Well, I shall tell you; because there were two completely different versions of it!

In the original, Walter betrays the robots and shuts them down by force- at FIRST because he says that they’re dangerous, but it ends up being that he’s really just worried about the Walter business’ public image

and it turns out that HE was the one who called the professor!

the robots are eventually saved by the rest of the band

I scrapped it because I felt that it would make the fic a bit too long-winded! D:

Here’s most of it, if you want to read it anyway! It’s unedited, though- so be warned!

<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZD60vnkamlcjLk_A3bgV2JNnPJZ1DA2L70lJgtmNug8/pub>

 

THANKS FOR READING

SEE YOU GUYS

 

 


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